Effects of Tai Chi Exercise in Elderly with Knee Osteoarthritis

Hea-Young Lee; Keum Jae Lee

doi:10.4040/jkan.2008.38.1.11

Journal List > J Korean Acad Nurs > v.38(1) > 1063700

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Lee and Lee: Effects of Tai Chi Exercise in Elderly with Knee Osteoarthritis

Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing

Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 2008; 38(1): 11-18.

Published online: 29 February 2008

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2008.38.1.11

Effects of Tai Chi Exercise in Elderly with Knee Osteoarthritis

Hea-Young Lee¹, Keum Jae Lee²

¹Full-time Instructor, Department of Nursing, Kimcheon Science College, Gimcheon, Korea.

²Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Kyungwon University, Seongnam, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Lee, Hea-Young. Department of Nursing, Kimcheon Science College, 480 Samrak-dong, Gimcheon, Korea. Tel: 82-54-420-9222, Fax: 82-54-420-9279, hylee@kcs.ac.kr

Received 29 July 2007 Accepted 28 September 2007

Abstract

Purpose

This study was to determine whether the Sun-style 24 forms of Tai Chi exercise improve pain, stiffness, disability, knee joint motion, mobility, balance or falling.

Methods

Forty-six community-dwelling elderly subjects (mean age, 75.46±6.28) voluntarily participated in an intervention group of either 24 forms of Sun-style Tai Chi for 60 min, 2 times per week for 12 weeks or a control group. A on-equivalent pretest-posttest design was used. Independent t-test and ANCOVA were used to examine group differences by using SPSS12.0.

Results

The experimental group had significantly less pain (F=7.60, p=.008) and stiffness (t=-3.19, p=.003) than the control group. Also there were significant improvements in knee joint motion on the right knee (t=2.44, p=.019), left knee (t=2.30, p=.026), rising time (F=8.03, p=.07), balance on the left single leg test (t=2.20, p=.033), and fear of falling (t=-2.33, p=.024) in the Tai Chi exercise group. No significant group differences were found in disability and falls efficacy.

Conclusion

The Sun-style 24 forms Tai Chi exercise is effective in decreasing pain, stiffness, fear of falling and it improves balance, rising time, and knee joint motion. We suggest a continuing long term intervention to decrease disability and increase efficacy concerning falls.

Keywords: Tai Chi, Osteoarthritis, Falls, Elderly

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Demographic Characteristics of Subjects

Table 2

Homogeneity Test of the Outcome Variables

Table 3

Mean differences of Physical function, Knee Joint of Motion, Mobility, and Balance between Pre-test and Post-test

^*F value of ANCOVA.

Table 4

Mean differences of Fear of Falling and Falls Efficacy between Pre-test and Post-test

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