Health

T'ai chi and health: what research has looked at

Many people come to t'ai chi because they have heard it is good for them. Researchers have studied the practice for decades, and the literature is now large. Here is a plain account of what that research has looked at, and how to read it without overstating it.

How much research is there?

An "evidence map" published in Systematic Reviews in 2016 set out to describe the volume and focus of tai chi research reporting health outcomes, and was built from 107 systematic reviews. The topics with the most randomised trials included general health, psychological well-being, older adults, balance, hypertension, fall prevention and cognitive performance. The map identified several areas where reviews suggested a potentially positive effect, but it also recorded that the reviews themselves cautioned that firm conclusions could not be drawn, because of limitations in the original studies or too few studies.

That combination—a large and growing body of work, and repeated calls for caution—is the honest summary of the field.

Examples of what has been studied

Fibromyalgia

MedlinePlus describes fibromyalgia as a long-lasting condition that causes pain all over the body, fatigue and other symptoms. A randomised trial reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010 compared classic Yang-style tai chi with a control programme of wellness education and stretching in people with fibromyalgia. Both groups met twice a week for twelve weeks, and the tai chi group reported greater improvement on a questionnaire measuring the condition's impact and in quality of life. The authors concluded that tai chi may be useful and merits long-term study in larger groups.

Parkinson's disease

MedlinePlus describes Parkinson's disease as a movement disorder in which people may have trouble walking and doing simple tasks as symptoms get worse. A randomised trial reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012 assigned people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease to a tailored tai chi programme, resistance training or stretching, and measured their postural stability. The tai chi group performed better on the main balance measures than the other two groups, and reported fewer falls than the stretching group, though not fewer than the resistance-training group.

Other areas

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health summarises research on balance and falls, pain conditions such as low-back pain and knee osteoarthritis, heart conditions and other topics. Its summaries repeatedly distinguish between areas where evidence looks more promising and areas where it is uncertain or low in quality. Other pages in this guide look at balance and falls, the heart and blood pressure and the knees in more detail.

How to read these studies modestly

1. Look at who was studied. A trial in people with one condition says little about people with another, or about healthy people.
2. Look at what tai chi was compared with. "Better than stretching" is not the same as "better than any exercise".
3. Look at the programme. Study programmes are regular, supervised and time-limited; everyday practice may differ.
4. Look for the caveats. Good studies state their own limits: small numbers, short follow-up, participants who knew which group they were in.
5. Look for many studies, not one. Systematic reviews, which gather many trials, give a better picture than any single result.
6. Beware of headlines. A careful finding in a journal often becomes a broad promise in the press.

What this means for a student

Research on tai chi is interesting and worth knowing about, but it is not a reason to use tai chi in place of medical care. Many people practise because they enjoy it, because it helps them feel settled, and because it is a gentle way to stay active. Those are good reasons in their own right. If you have a health condition and are curious whether tai chi might fit alongside your care, the right person to ask is your own health care provider.

For how tai chi compares with other kinds of exercise, see t'ai chi as exercise.