Tai Chi and Postural Stability in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Abstract BackgroundParkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with changes in gait and posture that can lead to a higher frequency of falls and injuries in this population. Research has shown a positive effect of tai chi (TC) training on the movement capacity for those with PD, however the understanding of the impact of TC training on gait and postural stability in PD is lacking. This study aims to examine the impact of a biomechanical-based TC training on dynamic postural stability and how it relates to walking performance.Methods/DesignWe will conduct a prospective, single-blind, randomized control trial of 40 individuals with early-stage PD (Hoehn & Yahr stages 1 to 3). Those with PD will be randomly assigned to either a TC group or a control group. The TC group will participate in a biomechanical-based TC training program that is formed based on the movement analysis of TC and will be practiced two to three times a week for 12 weeks. The control group will be asked to engage or maintain their regular physical activity (PA) for a period of 12 weeks. The primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 6-week, and 12-week after commencing the study protocol. The primary outcome measures will include gait speed, cadence, step length during level surface walking (simple task) and fixed-obstacle crossing (challenging task); the dynamic postural stability will be indicated by the center of mass and center of pressure (COM-COP) separation distance and clearance distance measured during fixed-obstacle crossing. The secondary measures will be the Unified Parkinson’s disease Rating scale (UPDRS-III), single leg-stance test with eyes open and closed, and three cognitive scores (Stroop Test, Trail Making Test- Part B, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). DiscussionThis protocol could lead to the development of an original and innovative TC training program for improvement of gait and postural stability among individuals with PD, which could help to improve or preserve the participants’ self-confidence, active participation in social activities, and therefore be beneficial to their overall quality of life.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (registry), NCT04644367 (registration number), November 25, 2020 (date of registration).

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Bidirectional interference between speech and postural stability in individuals with Parkinson's disease

International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.3109/17549507.2010.485649 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 446-454 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Christopher Dromey ◽

Eon Jarvis ◽

Stuart Sondrup ◽

Shawn Nissen ◽

K. Bo Foreman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Postural Stability

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The Effects of Group-Based versus Individual-Based Tai Chi Training on Nonmotor Symptoms in Patients with Mild to Moderate Parkinson’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Parkinson s Disease ◽

10.1155/2017/8562867 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jing Hui Yang ◽

Ya Qun Wang ◽

Sai Qing Ye ◽

You Gen Cheng ◽

Yu Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Tai Chi ◽

Compliance Rate ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Home Exercise ◽

Hamilton Depression Scale ◽

Nonmotor Symptoms ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Exercise Compliance

Objective. To compare the effects of group-based and individual-based Tai Chi training on nonmotor symptoms in patients with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease. Design. Randomized controlled pilot study. Methods. 36 community-dwelling patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) were randomly assigned to either group-based training group (n=19) or individual-based group (n=17). Both groups received same content of Tai Chi training 3 times a week for 13 weeks. Participants were also asked to perform home exercises daily. The Non-Motor Symptoms Scale was used to assess global nonmotor symptoms change. Sleep quality, depression, and cognition were evaluated by Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, and Beijing version-Montreal Cognitive Assessment, respectively. Home exercise compliance was recorded. Results. There was no significant difference between two groups at baseline. After 13 weeks, there were no statistical significance between two groups. However, the within-group effect was different. Participants in group-based and individual-based groups showed a significant improvement on global nonmotor symptoms (P<0.001, P=0.004) and sleep (P<0.001, P<0.001). But only group-based training patients presented a significant improvement in cognitive impairment compared with baseline (P=0.002, P-0.116). For depression, no group gained a significant improvement(P=0.123, P=0.170). Group-based participants had a higher home-exercise compliance rate (HeCR) than individual-based participants did (P=0.019), and HeCR showed a moderate correlation with MoCA-BJ and NMSS scores changes in this study. Conclusion. Group-based Tai Chi training is considered to be a more effective and a more labor-saving method in the clinical settings, and patients tend to have a higher compliance rate in their home exercise program. This study is registered with ChiCTR-IPR-17010388.

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