Abstract
Background: People who have sustained a stroke commonly experience a decline in functional balance leading to an increased fall risk. Falls may lead to debilitating injuries, recurrent falls and a decline in functional independence. Balance impairment is one of the predominant risk factors for falls in stroke survivors. In recent research, Tai Chi has been used as a therapeutic intervention compared to conventional physical therapy methods. The purpose of this study was to summarize the current research investigating the use of Tai Chi as an intervention to improve balance and fall risk and its success in patients with a stroke. Methods: Electronic databases, PubMed and EMBASE, were searched in December of 2019 to identify studies of Tai Chi as a balance intervention for survivors of stroke. Experimental studies with ambulatory participants, diagnosed with a stroke, used Tai Chi as an intervention and utilized outcomes measures to assess balance level, number of falls or fall risk. The studies compared outcomes of patients who underwent a minimum of eight weeks of Tai Chi intervention to standard physical therapy methods. Study quality was assessed using the 10-point PEDro scale and 12-point Quality Assessment Tool for Pre-Post Studies with No Control Group. Results: Six studies were included in this review. All studies demonstrated that Tai Chi intervention was effective in improving balance when compared either to the patients’ previous ambulatory status (within group comparison) or to a group receiving standard physical therapy (between group comparison). Conclusion: Our data suggests that Tai Chi is an effective intervention for improving balance in patients who have survived a stroke. Clinically, the use of Tai Chi should be implemented in conjunction with conventional physical therapy when addressing balance deficits in patients who have survived a stroke.
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