The practice can help patients recover better strength, movement, and balance control.
Surviving a stroke can leave you with life-changing physical and mental impairments. As a blood clot or a bleeding blood vessel in the brain, a stroke can damage your ability to speak. It can also impact your memory and vision. Finally, a stroke on the right side of the brain can cause paralysis in all or part of your body.
According to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, about 40% of people who suffer from a stroke experience moderate to severe side effects and impairments that leave lasting damage. These require special attention and rehabilitation. This can involve working with a speech therapist, or a physical therapist in order to rebuild damaged pathways in your brain.
The great news is, 10% of stroke survivors actually recover almost all of their previous abilities. A further 25% of patients regain most of their abilities with just minor impairments. Part of what helps people heal is getting active. There’s no need to attempt to climb Mount Everest in order to speed up your recovery, (in fact, this wouldn’t be a good idea), but certain activities stand out as providing better benefits than others. And one of these seems to be Tai Chi.
Tai Chi for stroke survivors
According to new research published in Stroke, a peer reviewed medical journal, practicing Tai Chi even while sitting down, makes a difference. In fact, it may be even more beneficial than some traditional hospital-directed stroke recovery programs.
Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese martial art. To do Tai Chi, you move your hands, neck, arms, legs and core in a series of guided careful movements while breathing deeply.
Researchers from Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China conducted the study with 160 adults who were ischemic stroke sufferers. This group retained the use of at least one arm within six months following their stroke.
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In the study, half of the participants engaged in the sitting Tai Chi program. The other half practiced a standard stroke rehabilitation exercise program that involved moving their upper limbs. Participants in the Tai Chi program received one week of training from an instructor and then completed a self-guided video at home three times per week for about three months. Caregivers and family members supervised the participants.
It was found that participants who were part of the seated Tai Chi group experienced equal or greater improvement in the following after three months, compared with the control group:
- hand and arm strength
- shoulder range of motion
- balance control
- symptoms of depression
- activities of daily living after three months
While other rehabilitation programs can also reap great results, this study may prove seated Tai Chi can certainly help ischemic stroke survivors regain their abilities.
Where to find Tai Chi resources online
The American Stroke Association recommends survivors begin rehabilitation within a week of suffering from a stroke. It’s wise to continue these exercises for up to six months or longer.
Where can you find direction and inspiration? There’s a plethora of Tai Chi resources online including easy-to-follow videos like those from David-Doria Ross on YouTube. It only takes about 20 minutes a day to see some benefits. It’s worth the effort! Start by setting aside time to devote to improving your movement. If you can’t do all the exercises easily, do what you can and build from there. Talk with your doctor before beginning any exercise program and invest time in helping yourself grow stronger.
photo credits: Microgen/Shutterstock.com
