Seniors who practice tai chi — a Chinese meditation practice that combines deep breathing and slow, fluid movements — may be less likely to fall than their peers who don’t do this type of exercise, a recent study suggests.
Tai chi was associated with a 20% lower risk of falling at least once and a 31% drop in the number of falls, the analysis found.
“This is a fairly significant finding because tai chi is an activity that can be easily taught and that people can do independently at home or at their workplace or at the retirement center on their own or in a group,” said Jean-Michel Brismee, a physical therapy researcher at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and University Medical Center in Lubbock.
