Medication in Motion - Tai Chi

Have you ever heard of Tai Chi? This gentle exercise is a great activity to start at many different stages of life due to its gentle nature. Here is a little bit more information on how Tai Chi can improve your strength, flexibility, and improve your balance.

What is Tai Chi

Tai Chi originated in China as a martial art of “meditation in motion”. It is a low-impact, slow motion exercise where you go through a series of motions and focus your breath and attention on your bodily sensations. The movements are a circular pattern to them and allow the muscles to be relaxed, rather than tense, like most workout programs. The joints never go to a fully extended or bent position, allowing the motions to be adapted for anyone.

Benefits from Tai Chi are getting a lot of attention in the medical community as being a great activity to add as you age, following surgeries, and even for those who are in wheelchairs. These exercises can help to improve a person’s ability to function around the home and in the community as well as improve their quality of life.

Benefits

Tai Chi has many benefits while also being gentle on your body.

• Balance: This is one of the main reasons people should do Tai Chi as you grow older. As we age, our balance gets worse. Tai Chi will help improve your balance by challenging your senses and nervous system to improve your motor control. In addition, it can decrease your risk of falling by building up your confidence in your balance. Studies have shown that the more fearful we are of falling, the more likely we are to fall. It is important that we know how our balance is, and to work to improve it. If you would like to learn more about balance and the different systems involved, you can read this previous blog post.
• Muscle Strength: Improvements have been noted to strengthen both the lower body and upper body. You do not use any resistance bands but as you shift weight and hold positions, it will allow you to use stabilizing muscles that you may not have been training before.
• Flexibility: By moving your arms and body through the different poses you will be improving your flexibility.
• Aerobic Conditioning: Depending on your speed and the range of motion that you produce during the forms, it can challenge your aerobic level. This is great because you can gauge the workout on what is best for you.
• Cognition: Promising news was demonstrated in a small 2018 study that showed that Tai Chi can help to improve memory and cognition in seniors. It is important that as we age, we also workout our brain!

Getting Started

• Check with your doctor: Check with your doctor first to make sure that you are safe to begin a new exercise program. Especially if you have a history of falls in the past, recent surgery with precautions, or other medical conditions that may limit you from this or other aerobic exercises.
• Observe a class: Check with your local community center to see if they are offering classes. By observing the class first, you will be able to see if Tai Chi is right for you.
• Dress Comfortably: Make sure that you have loose-fitting clothing to not restrict your arms or legs. You will also want to make sure that you do not have slippery shoes.
• Be patient with yourself: There are various words and phrases that are specific to Tai Chi and marital arts. It may also take you a minute to get used to the sequences and how to connect your breath through the motions.

If you are interested in Tai Chi or would like to learn more, reach out to your local community center or physical therapy office to see if there is anything offered. Often Tai Chi goes hand and hand with physical therapy. If you are not sure you are quite ready to begin Tai Chi, and you are in the Falls Church or Arlington, VA area, reach out to our office to help build up your balance and strength so we can get you ready for Tai Chi!

Resources

Harvard Health Publishing. “The Health Benefits of Tai Chi.” Harvard Health, Harvard Health, 24 May 2022, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-health-benefits-of-tai-chi.

Mortazavi, Hamed, et al. “The Effect of Tai Chi Exercise on the Risk and Fear of Falling in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Materia Socio Medica, vol. 30, no. 1, 2018, p. 38, https://doi.org/10.5455/msm.2018.30.38-42.

Sungkarat, Somporn, et al. “Tai Chi Improves Cognition and Plasma BDNF in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, vol. 32, no. 2, 20 Jan. 2018, pp. 142–149, https://doi.org/10.1177/1545968317753682.

Author

Alana Hamilton Alana Hamilton is a physical therapist at Advantage Physical Therapy in Falls Church, Virginia. She is a proud Hokie from Virginia Tech with a major in Biology and a minor in psychology and sociology. Following graduation, she immediately got her doctorate in Physical Therapy from Radford University. She is an avid fan of Pilates, running, and hiking. On the weekends, she can be found hanging out with her family and baby as well as doing Spartan races with her old physical therapy classmates and friends. She is a big believer that during rehabilitation, "Motion is the Lotion" and that staying active is key to remaining healthy.