Tai Chi: Improving Functional Balance and Predicting Subsequent Falls in Older Persons

• DOI: 10.1249/01.mss.0000147590.54632.e7
• Publication Date: 2005-12-13T17:05:23Z
• Authors: FUZHONG LI; PETER HARMER; K JOHN FISHER; EDWARD MCAULEY
• Keywords: Aged, 80 and over; Male; Aging; Health Status; Exercise Therapy; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Risk Factors; Humans; Accidental Falls; Female; Tai Ji; Postural Balance; Aged; Forecasting

Purpose: To determine whether improved functional balance through a Tai Chi intervention is related to subsequent reductions in falls among elderly persons. Methods: Two hundred fifty-six healthy, physically inactive older adults aged 70–92 (mean age ± SD = 77.48 4.95), recruited from local health system Portland, OR, participated 6-month randomized controlled trial, with allocation or exercise stretching control, followed by postintervention follow-up. Functional measures included Berg scale, dynamic gait index, and reach, assessed during the period (baseline, 3-month, endpoint) again at Fall counts were recorded follow-up period. Data analyzed intention-to-treat analysis of variance logistic regression procedures. Results: participants who showed improvements endpoint significantly reduced their risk period, compared those control condition (odds ratio (OR), 0.27, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.07–0.96 for scale; CI, 0.09–0.87 index; 0.20, 0.05–0.82 reach). Conclusions: Improved training associated fall frequency