During an expedition down an internet wormhole I came across a BBC news article talking about the benefits of Tai Chi for sufferers of Parkinson's disease. The BBC article went on to show a couple of Yang Shi Ba Shi Qigong exercises labelled as Tai Chi. Anyone with more than a passing knowledge of the subject knows that Qigong exercises are not Tai Chi (although it could be said that Tai Chi is a subset of Qigong in so far as they both involve cultivation of internal energy). I'm petty enough to be irritated by this sort of inaccuracy, so I decided to dive a little deeper...
The article was based on a study first published by the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry in October 2023. The paper was based on an average of 3.5 years' observation of groups practising Tai Chi twice a week for 60 minutes per session. The Tai Chi coaches were from a professional organisation called Sino Tai Chi who, after a little more digging online, I believe to be a Chen style Tai Chi organisation.
The study compared the persistent Tai Chi training group with a control group who didn't engage in any regular exercise beyond their usual daily activity. Compared with the control group, the people who maintained Tai Chi training showed a slower annual worsening of overall Parkinson's symptoms. In addition, they required lower annual increases in the daily dosage of their medication, exhibited a delayed progression into further anti-Parkinsonian therapy and demonstrated greater stability and improvements in motor function tests such as balance and gait.
In addition, the Tai Chi participants showed a slower deterioration in cognitive function, autonomic symptoms, sleep quality and overall quality of life. They also exhibited a lower prevalence of motor and non-motor complications such as dyskinesia, cognitive impairment/dementia, drops in blood pressure and impulse control disorders.
The Tai Chi practitioners did report falls, dizziness and back pain, but these phenomena weren't significantly higher than those experienced by the control group.
In summary, the study suggests that persistent long-term Tai Chi training when delivered correctly is associated with slower symptom progression and improved functional outcomes in people with Parkinson's disease compared to people not engaged in regular training. Whilst it doesn't prove causation, it does provide compelling evidence that sustained physical training such as Tai Chi can be beneficial in long term management of Parkinson's disease.
