Many stroke survivors are dissuaded from participating undergoing rehabilitation therapy for lack of physical stability or full use of the arms. But practicing a seated form of tai chi results in a variety of mental health and functional improvements for partially paralyzed patients, a new study has found.
Muscular strength and flexibility training, including yoga and tai chi, are beneficial for stroke survivors, the American Stroke Association has reported. reported. In the new study, researchers in China found that patients who practiced a modified form of seated tai chi for 12 weeks improved on a variety of measures compared with those on a standard program of stroke rehabilitation exercises.
Adapted to the 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, usually done while standing. The current study included 160 participants at two hospitals who had recently experienced an ischemic stroke and had hand and arm weakness and/or partial paralysis. All participants maintained the use of at least one arm.
Seated tai chi was designed 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 the gains from standard tai chi rehabilitation. attention, the researchers reported. Improvements included fewer symptoms of depression and better shoulder range of motion.
Long-term stroke rehabilitation
Seated Tai Chi can be practiced in a chair or wheelchair, and requires no 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 now plan to study how patients respond to long-term use of the rehab program.
“Most likely, people need to stick to sitting Tai Chi exercise for more than 12 weeks to get long-term beneficial effects,” Zhao said.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines recommend that patients begin stroke rehabilitation within seven days and continue for up to six months after the stroke.
complete finds were published in the magazine Race.
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