• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.79-90
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• 2010

Objectives : Tai Chi for arthritis was developed in 1997 by Paul Lam, M.D. of family medicine in Australia. It is an exercise treatment program and a good approaching method for arthritis. However its application is limited to arthritis of knee joint only. Even there have been no clinical study in korean traditional medical society. The aim of this study is to investigate effect of the Tai Chi for arthritis on chronic pain of body. Methods : We designed this trial as objectives were (1) senior female over 60 years, (2) suffering for osteoarthritis and chronic body pain, (3) have no physical or mental dysfunctions (4) able to walk and exercise alone. Objectives mactched these criteria had been trained the Tai Chi for arthritis 2 hours a day for 21 weeks. Before and after training, pain of 8 joints (neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, waist, hip, knee, ankle) were estimated with the VAS(Visual Analog Scale). Results : Training the Tai Chi for arthritis relieved multiple joint pain(especially neck, lower back, shoulder, wrist and knee) and these were statistically significant. Conclusions : This study is a pilot study to investigate effect of the Tai Chi for arthritis on chronic pain of whole body. Absence of control group, and other scale to test joint function except VAS were limitations of this study. It is the first clinical approach about Tai Chi in korean medicine field, also the first study of Tai Chi for pain of the whole body.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.27-33
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of the center of pressure (COP) trajectory in healthy elderly subjects while crossing an obstacle before and after participation in Tai Chi training. Forty healthy elderly subjects participated either in a 12-week intervention of Tai Chi training or in a health education program. The participants were divided into two groups (the experimental group and the control group). Subsequently, the participants were pre- and post-tested on crossing over an obstacle from a quiet stance. Participants in the experimental group received Tai Chi training that emphasized the smooth integration of trunk rotation, a shift in weight bearing from bilateral to unilateral support and coordination and a gradual narrowing of the lower-extremity stance three times weekly. The participants in the control group attended a health education program one hour weekly and heard lectures about general information to promote health. Performance was assessed by recording the changes in the displacement of the COP in the anteroposterior (A-P) and mediolateral (M-L) directions using a force platform. Participants in the Tai Chi group significantly increased the A-P and M-L displacement of the COP after Tai Chi training (p<.05). No significant differences in the A-P and the M-L displacement of the COP between pre-testing and post-testing in the control group were found. This study has shown that participation in Tai Chi exercise increased the magnitude of the A-P and M-L displacement of the COP, thereby improving the ability of healthy elderly participation to generate momentum to initiate gait. These findings support the use of Tai Chi training as an effective fall-prevention program for the elderly.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.409-420
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• 2004

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of Tai chi exercise for improving balance and its tendency and helps to identify directions for future research. Method: 19 articles from Medline search of foreign journals(1981-2003) and 5 from Korean nursing journals (1981-2003) were surveyed. The contents analyses were focused on outcome measures and relative factors regarding balance. Result: Variable measures for balance were used in Tai Chi studies relating to balance. They included the functional measures such as 14 single-leg stance, 7 walking in physiological measures and 7 laboratory-based balance measures were done with platform stability test. The measure of effective Tai Chi exercise depended on the health status of subjects and the methods. Health status of subjects were only on physically inactive older adults in 17 articles and arthritis patients in 7 articles in the Tai Chi study. The significant effects of Tai Chi exercise on balance was revealed after 10weeks duration. Conclusion: Considering the results, Tai Chi exercise is more effective than any other studies for walking balance. But the reports on the outcome are inconsistent with wide variations in the choice of balance measures. It is suggested that future studies analyze systemic change through meta analysis and have a wide variety of subjects who need postural control and balance control. The methods of measures should be distinct from the balance state of subjects for the effectiveness of Tai chi exercise.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the effect of 12-week Tai Chi exercise on glucose control, peripheral nerve modulation, and perceived health for Type 2 diabetic patients with neuropathy. Methods: A pretest posttest design with a nonequivalent control group, 44 diabetic patients with neuropathy were recruited from an outpatient clinic of a university hospital and assigned into Tai Chi or Control groups. The Tai Chi exercise was based on Tai Chi for Diabetes program developed by Lam (2006) and performed one hour for each session twice a week for 12 weeks. Outcome variables were HbA1c, Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument scores and perceived health. A total of 25 patients completed both measures of pretest and posttest. Results: The study participants were 67 years old in average, diagnosed by DM for more than 15 years. Those who participated in 12-week Tai Chi exercise (n=13) significantly improved in HbA1c (t=2.23, p=.035) and perceived health (t=-2.28, p=.032) than the control group (n=12). Conclusion: Tai Chi exercise may improve glucose control and health status in patients with Type II diabetes. Further study with larger sample size would be necessary to confirm the effect of Tai Chi on peripheral nerve modulation.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.32-42
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• 1991

Spielbergers Test Anxiety Inventory(TAI) is a self-report scale which can measure the cognitive(Worry) and affective(Emotionality) components of test anxiety separately. After having administered it to 756 Korean middle school students, it was concluded that some of the items of TAI were not relevant for Koreans as they were. They have been revised on the basis of informations collected from interviews with Korean students. The Korean Form of TAI(TAI-K) consists of 25 items for primary school- and 35 for high school students. The Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ of the TAI-K and the test-retest reliability were proved(${\alpha}=.90,$ r=.78 for primary school students ; ${\alpha}=.94,$ r=.85 for high school students). General Anxiety Scale and Self-esteem Scale were used to prove its validity. test Anxiety correlates with general anxiety positively. while it correlates with self-esteem negatively.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.13-25
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify the effects of Tai Chi self-help program on glucose control, cardiovascular risks, and quality of life in patients with type II diabetes. Method: The study subjects were 95 adults with type II diabetes recruited from five primary health centers and one outpatient clinic. The Tai chi self-help program was provided twice a week for 6 months. Outcome measures included blood glucose(HbA1c), cardiovascular risk checklist, and quality of life(SF36). Result: At the completion of 6-month program, HbA1c for Tai Chi group dropped from 6.79 to 6.59 without significant group differences. However, cardiovascular risk scores for Tai Chi group has been significantly reduced compared to the control group. In 6 months, quality of life (SF36) was significantly better for Tai Chi group especially in the areas of physical and social functioning. Conclusion: Tai Chi self-help program applied for type 2 diabetes patients has been partially effective to control cardiovascular risk factors, and some dimensions of quality of life. Tai Chi self-help program can be safely and easily applicable to primary care centers for diabetic patients and other people with chronic disease for their symptom management, and health promotion.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.543-548
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• 2009

Treatment for breast cancer produces side effects that diminish functional capacity and quality of life (QOL) among survivors. Tai Chi is a moderate form of exercise that may improve functional capacity, physical activity and oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of regular Tai Chi exercise on malondialdehyde (MDA), SOD and physical fitness (muscle strength, flexibility, flexion, extension, adduction, and abduction). Forty obese women were recruited from a public health center and divided into control (CON: n=20) and trained (EXP: n=20) groups. The Tai Chi exercise group participated in a 12-week (4 times/week) training program. Data were analyzed with T-test. MDA, SOD and physical fitness (muscle strength, flexibility, flexion, extension, adduction, and abduction) were evaluated before and after the Tai Chi program in both groups. There were significant improvements in shoulder flexibility, flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction. However, there was no improvement in muscle strength. There were also significant improvements in MDA and SOD. Based on these results, Tai Chi exercise has been shown to stimulate endogenous antioxidant enzymes and reduce oxidative damage markers. and also be effective in improving physical fitness and QOL. Further study is needed in this area.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.341-351
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was done to analyze the effects of Tai Chi on fall-related risk factors through meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials published in English and Korean between 2000 and 2010. Methods: Using health related database and hand search of references and Google, 28 randomized studies were collected from doctoral dissertation and published peer reviewed articles. The Comprehensive Meta-analysis version 2.0 was used for the analysis. Results: The effect sizes for Tai Chi for 3 months were significant with ES=0.54 for static balance, ES=0.24 for dynamic balance, ES=0.69 for balance measured by scale, and ES=0.40 for flexibility, ES=0.48 for muscle strength, ES=0.71 for ADL, and ES=0.37 for fear of falling. Also, the effect sizes of Tai Chi for 6 months were significant for most fall-related variables. The 6 month data for flexibility was not analyzed since only one study was published. Conclusion: The analysis of studies of randomized clinical trials indicate that Tai Chi is effective in improving balance, flexibility, muscle strength, activities of daily living, and fear of falling when applied for 3 or 6 months. The findings provide the objective evidence to apply Tai Chi as a fall preventive intervention.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.571-580
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was to compare the effects among Tai-Chi exercise, aquatic Exercise, and a self-help program for knee osteoarthritis patients on symptoms of arthritis, muscle strength, balance, and difficulty of performing activities. Method: There were 50 final subjects50. A non-equivalent pretest-posttest design was used. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS for Window. One-way ANOVA and Scheffe's multiple comparison test were used 8weeks after each program. Result: There were significant differences in joint pain(p=.000), stillness (p=.001), knee extensor peak torque(p=.006), knee flexor(p=.002), and difficult of performing activity (p=.000), but there was no significant difference in balance(p=.648). The Tai-Chi group was significantly different from the self-help group for knee extensor peak torque, knee flexor and stiffness on Scheffe's multiple comparison tests. In addition, the Tai Chi group or aquatic group were significantly different from the self-help group for difficulty of performing activities(p<0.05). Conclusion: There are significant differences in the effects of the nursing intervention among the three groups. The Tai Chi group and aquatic group were significantly different from the self-help group. However, it seems that Tai-chi exercise may be more suitable than aquatic exercise in osteoarthritis exercise programs. Further studies with a longitudinal study are necessary to confirm the longer exercise period.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.829-837
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• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 6-week Tai Chi exercise program on reducing blood pressure for hypertensive patients. Method: A non-equivalent pretest-posttest experimental design was used. Participants were recruited from the Community Health Center in Busan, Korea. Twenty-eight hypertensive patients participated in this study. Among them, fourteen were in the experimental group and the rest are in the control group. Members in the experimental group participated in a 6- week program of Tai Chi exercise. In order to evaluate the effects of the Tai Chi program, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and cortisol level were measured before and after week 6. Result: After the 6-week Tai Chi program, there were significant differences in systolic pressure (t=-3.13, p=.004) and diastolic blood pressure (t=-4.75, p=.000) in the experimental group when compared to the control group. However there were no significant differences in the total cholesterol (t=1.07, p=.294) and cortisol level (F=1.35, p=.256). Conclusion: These results suggest that a 6-week Tai Chi program can be utilized as an effective nursing program to reduce blood pressure for hypertensive patients.