Effects of a 8-week Tai Chi Exercise Program on the Risk Factors for Falls in the Elderly with Osteoarthritis

8주간의 타이치 운동 프로그램이 골관절염 노인환자의 낙상 위험요인에 미치는 효과

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 8- week Tai Chi exercise program on improving the risk factors for falls in the older adults with chronic arthritis pain. Method: Fifteen subjects were assigned for experimental group and thirteen were assigned for control group. The subjects of the experimental group participated in a 8 -week program of Tai Chi exercise. In order to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi program, pain intensity, postural stability, balance, gait, and flexibility of knees and ankles were measured before the first and after the 8th session Result: After a 8-week Tai Chi program, there were significant improvement in single-leg stance time with eyes open(left: p=.000, right: p=.003), total scores of balance(p=.004), total scores of gait(p=.005), and the angle of ankle dorsiflexion(p=.008) in the experimental group when compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference in pain intensity between Tai Chi group and control group(p=.054). Conclusion: These results suggest that a 8-week Tai Chi exercise program can be utilized as a safe and effective nursing program to improve on improving the risk factors for falls in the older adults with osteoarthritis.