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Tai Chi Training Reduces Parkinson Disease Complications and Symptoms

Lisa Kuhns, PhD

Tai Chi training improves Parkinson Disease (PD) complications, including motor and nonmotor symptoms, according to a study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, & Psychiatry.

“PD can worsen motor function and non-motor symptoms progressively with time, resulting in disability and influencing the quality of life,” wrote Gen Li, Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, and coauthors. “The long-term beneficial effect on PD could prolong the time without disability, leading to a higher quality of life, a lower burden for caregivers and less drug usage,” they added.

The researchers followed cohorts of patients with PD with Tai Chi training and patients with PD without exercise from January 2016 to June 2021. Following an average of 4.3 years of observation, Tai Chi training was found to have a long-term beneficial effect on PD. It was observed that the control group had a significantly higher annual increase in the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) total score compared to the Tai Chi group during the follow-up period of 2019, 2020, and 2021. The Tai Chi group showed annual changes in UPDRS total score of 2.960 ± 0.70 in 2019, 3.005 ± 0.72 in 2020, and 3.007 ± 0.70 in 2021. On the other hand, the control group showed annual changes in UPDRS total score of 4.907 ± 0.93 in 2019, 4.975 ± 0.93 in 2020, and 4.975 ± 0.94 in 2021. The P-value was less than 0.001, indicating that PD progressed faster in the control group.

The study also found that the Tai Chi group had slower deterioration in motor symptoms, measured by UPDRS III scores, as compared with the control group. The annual changes in UPDRS III scores were as follows for the Tai Chi group: 1.751 ± 0.69 in 2019, 2.052 ± 0.77 in 2020, and 2.192 ± 0.72 in 2021. On the other hand, the annual changes in UPDRS III scores for the control group were 3.482 ± 1.03 in 2019, 3.989 ± 1.00 in 2020, and 4.135 ± 0.99 in 2021. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<.001). Regarding nonmotor symptoms, the Tai Chi group showed a slower decline in cognitive function, with annual changes in PDCRS total score of -0.746 ± 1.13 in 2019, -1.016 ± 0.86 in 2020, and -1.220 ± 0.74 in 2021, compared with the control group which had changes of -3.266 ± 0.75 in 2019, -2.758 ± 0.57 in 2020, and -2.630 ± 0.50 in 2021 (P <.001). In terms of annual changes in the Parkinson’s Disease Cognitive Rating Scale (PDCRS) frontal cortical score, the Tai Chi group had changes of -0.576 ± 1.16 in 2019, -0.754 ± 0.85 in 2020, and -0.879 ± 0.74 in 2021, while the control group had changes of -2.682 ± 0.49 in 2019, -2.219 ± 0.42 in 2020, and -2.067 ± 0.39 in 2021 (P=.003).

“Tai Chi training maintains the long-term beneficial effect on PD, improved motor and non-motor symptoms and reduced complications and could be used in the long-term management of PD,” concluded the study authors.

Reference

Li G, Huang P, Cui S, He Y, Tan Y, Chen S. Effect of long-term Tai Chi training on Parkinson's disease: a 3.5-year follow-up cohort study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psych. 2023;jnnp-2022-330967. doi:10.1136/jnnp-2022-330967

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