T’ai Chi and Postural Control in the Well Elderly

Abstract

Abstract In this study, we investigated the potential value of t’ai chi in promoting postural control of the well elderly. T’ai chi, a traditional Chinese exercise, is a series of individual dancelike movements linked together in a continuous, smooth-flowing sequence. Performance on five balance tests of 9 t’ai chi practitioners was compared to that of 9 nonpractitioners. An analysis of variance demonstrated that in three of the tests, the t’ai chi practitioners had significantly better postural control than the sedentary nonpractitioners (p < .05). It was also found that men performed significantly better than women in both the practitioner and nonpractitioner groups on the same three tests (p < .01).