Friday, September 22, 2006

TaiChi and You...A question of Balance

On balance, tai chi is a steadying influence


"Since taking up tai chi I have not had one fall" … Patricia Beveridge, who has osteoporosis,  says the weekly classes have made her more steady and flexible.

"Since taking up tai chi I have not had one fall" … Patricia Beveridge, who has osteoporosis, says the weekly classes have made her more steady and flexible.
Photo: Ben Rushton

AT 74, Patricia Beveridge can touch her toes, kick her legs to waist height and stand on one leg.

More importantly, Ms Beveridge, who was diagnosed with osteoporosis eight years ago, can climb stairs and walk across uneven surfaces without fear of falling.

And it was all thanks, she said, to tai chi, traditional Chinese martial arts exercises of slow, graceful movements.

"You learn to co-ordinate your hands and body by perfecting the movements," she said. "Since taking up tai chi I have not had one fall. I can stand up straight. I feel like a 16-year-old."

Ms Beveridge began practising tai chi in 1999 when she took part in a study of more than 700 people aged 60 and over, testing the benefits of tai chi for preventing falls.

The results of the study, to be presented at the National Injury Prevention Conference in Sydney next week, found a 16-week program of one-hour tai chi classes cut falls in the elderly by 35 per cent and the risk of multiple falls by nearly 60 per cent.

The report's author, Alex Voukelatos, of the Sydney South West Area Health Promotion Service, said that tai chi participants showed improved balance, stability and reaction times.

"One of the highest risk factors for falls in older people is a decreasing sense of balance. Tai chi increases their balance and helps prevent falls," Mr Voukelatos said.

A third of people aged 65 and older are estimated to fall each year at an estimated cost of $3 billion.

Associate Professor Stephen Lord, of the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, said the most serious injuries included fractured hips and spinal and head injuries, all of which could lead to permanent disability and death.

Falls also had psychological consequences, Dr Lord said.

"It is a vicious cycle: the fear leads to decreased activity, which puts them at greater risk." Dr Lord recommended that elderly people wishing to try tai chi should find group classes, aimed at improving balance and strength.

For Patricia Beveridge, attending weekly tai chi classes at Ashbury Senior Citizens Club and practising regularly at home have improved her balance, flexibility and wellbeing.

"My bones have not deteriorated since I started," she said. "If they stay like this for the next seven years I will be very grateful to tai chi."