The Chinese martial art of tai chi, which consists of a series of extremely slow, deliberate movements, may be able to reduce Parkinson’s disease symptoms and associated consequences for several years, according to research that was published online in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry.
Debilitating and progressive in nature, Parkinson’s disease is a neurological ailment marked by stiff and inflexible muscles, resting tremors, and slowness of movement. It is the neurological disorder with the greatest rate of growth in the world; by 2030, around 5 million people in China alone are expected to be afflicted. The UK charity Parkinson’s UK reports that two persons are diagnosed with the disease every hour in the country.Â
Parkinson’s disease currently has no known cure, and although medications help lessen clinical symptoms, they do not address all of the disease’s symptoms. The researchers clarify that there is no proof that they also impede advancement. Tai chi appears to reduce Parkinson’s symptoms in the short term, according to previously published studies; however, it is unknown if this improvement can last over an extended period of time.
The researchers tracked two groups of Parkinson’s disease patients for more than five years, from January 2016 to June 2021, to learn more. Two times a week, for an hour, a group of 147 patients practiced tai chi with the assistance of instructors to help them with technique. Other group of 187 patients did not practice taichi but instead received normal therapy.Â
At the beginning of the monitoring period, the participants’ diseases were officially assessed for severity. Subsequently, in November 2019, October 2020, and June 2021, the participants’ diseases were monitored for progression, including increases in the need for medication.
Validated scales were used to track the degree of movement as well as other symptoms, such as autonomic nervous system function (which includes bowel movements, urinary, and cardiovascular issues), mood, sleep quality, and cognition; and the frequency of complications, such as dyskinesia (involuntary movement), dystonia (abnormal muscle tone), mild cognitive impairment, hallucinations, and restless leg syndrome. Â
Three validated measures measuring overall symptoms, mobility, and balance showed slower disease development in the tai chi group at all monitoring points. Comparing the comparison group to the tai chi group, the proportion of patients who required an increase in medication was also much higher: 83.5% in 2019 and just over 96% in 2020, as opposed to 71% and 87.5%, respectively.
While sleep and quality of life continued to improve, cognitive function and other non-movement symptoms declined more slowly in the tai chi group. Additionally, compared to the comparison group, the tai chi group had a considerably lower prevalence of the following complications: hallucinations 0% vs. slightly over 2%; mild cognitive impairment 3% vs. 10%; restless leg syndrome 7% vs. 15.5%; dyskinesia 1.4% vs. 7.5%; dystonia 0% vs. 1.6%.
The three side effects that research participants reported experiencing were falls, dizziness, and back discomfort; however, the tai chi group experienced much fewer of these. Although there were 23 fractures, all of them happened during ordinary everyday activities, and there were 6 versus 17 in the tai chi group. Since this study is observational in nature, causation and effect cannot be established.
The study’s limited sample size and the fact that participants weren’t randomized to groups at random are other points the researchers acknowledge. However, they state, “Our study indicates that tai chi retains the long-term beneficial effect on [Parkinson’s disease], indicating that it may have disease-modifying effects on motor as well as non-motor symptoms, especially gait, balance, autonomic symptoms, and cognition.”Â
Reference Â
Effect of long-term Tai Chi training on Parkinson’s disease: a 3.5-year follow-up cohort study, Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry (2023). DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2022-330967. Â
