Many stroke survivors are deterred from participating in rehabilitation therapy due to a lack of physical stability or full use of the arms. But the practice of a seated form of tai chi results in a range of functional and mental health improvements for patients with partial paralysis, a new study has found.
Flexibility and muscle strength training, including yoga and tai chi, are beneficial for stroke survivors, the American Stroke Association has reported. In the new study, investigators in China found that patients who practiced a modified, 12-week seated form of tai chi improved across a variety of measures when compared to those in a standard stroke rehabilitation exercise program.
Tailored to use of one arm
Tai chi is a traditional Chinese martial art in which practitioners perform a series of slow, careful movements along with deep breathing exercises, typically done while standing. The current study included 160 participants in two hospitals who had recently experienced an ischemic stroke and had hand and arm weakness and/or partial paralysis. All participants retained the use of at least one arm.
The seated tai chi was tailored so that participants could move one arm with the help of a healthy arm.
Participants whose rehabilitation included the seated tai chi program saw gains in hand and arm function, balance while sitting and mental health and quality of life that were greater than or equal to gains from the standard-of-care rehabilitation, the researchers reported. Improvements included fewer symptoms of depression and better shoulder range of motion.
Long-term stroke rehab
Seated Tai Chi can be practiced in a chair or wheelchair, and doesn’t require special equipment or travel time, explained lead author Jie Zhao, Ph.D., of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. She and her colleagues are now planning to study how patients respond to longer-term use of the rehab program.
“People will most likely need to adhere to the sitting Tai Chi exercise beyond 12 weeks to get the beneficial long-term effects,” Zhao said.
The American Heart Association’s / American Stroke Association guidelines recommend that patients start stroke rehabilitation within seven days and continue for up to six months after a stroke.
Full findings were published in the journal Stroke.
Related articles:
Depression hits harder in stroke than heart attack, especially in women
Signs of cognitive, functional decline may precede first stroke by 10 years
