Effectively inhibit Parkinson's disease? This Chinese boxing technique is popular!

Compiled by: Gong Zixin

Recently, a study published in the online version of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry showed that the Chinese martial art of Tai Chi may suppress the symptoms and complications of Parkinson's disease for several years.

Tai chi involves a series of very slow, controlled movements. The findings showed that practicing tai chi was associated with slower progression of Parkinson's disease over time and lower doses of medication required.

Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system and is characterised by bradykinesia, resting tremor, muscle stiffness and inflexibility. Parkinson's disease is the fastest growing neurological disease in the world, with the number of people affected expected to reach nearly 5 million in China alone by 2030. In the UK, two people are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease every hour, according to the charity Parkinson's UK.

To date, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, and although medications can improve clinical symptoms, they do not treat all forms of the condition and there is no evidence that they will slow progression.

Previously published studies have shown that tai chi relieves Parkinson's symptoms in the short term, but whether this improvement can last in the long term is unclear. To find out, the researchers monitored two groups of Parkinson's patients for more than five years, from January 2016 to June 2021.

One group of 147 patients practiced Tai Chi twice a week for one hour each time, supplemented by classes provided to improve their technique; the other group of 187 patients continued their standard treatment but did not practice Tai Chi.

At the beginning of the monitoring period, researchers conducted a formal assessment of disease severity in all participants and subsequently monitored disease progression, including increased need for medication, in November 2019, October 2020, and June 2021.

Their motor levels and other symptoms were tracked, such as autonomic nervous system function (including bowel, urinary and cardiovascular problems); mood, sleep quality and cognition; and the prevalence of complications, such as dyskinesias (involuntary movements); dystonias (abnormal muscle tone); decreased responsiveness to drug treatments over time; mild cognitive impairment; and restless legs syndrome.

Disease severity, medication use, sex, age, and education were similar between the two groups. Global symptoms, movement, and balance were assessed using 3 validated scales.

Figure 1 Huge differences between the control group and the Tai Chi group

Figure 2 Prevalence of motor complications

Results showed that the Tai Chi group had slower disease progression at all monitoring points.

The number of patients in the control group who needed additional drug treatment was also significantly higher than in the Tai Chi group: 83.5% in 2019 and slightly over 96% in 2020, compared with 71% and 87.5% in the control group, respectively.

As with other non-motor symptoms, cognitive function deteriorated more slowly in the Tai Chi group, while sleep and quality of life continued to improve.

The incidence of complications in the Tai Chi group was significantly lower than that in the control group: movement disorders 1.4% vs 7.5%; dystonia 0% vs 1.6%; hallucinations 0% vs slightly more than 2%; mild cognitive impairment 3% vs 10%; restless legs syndrome 7% vs 15.5%.

Participants reported significantly lower rates of falls, dizziness, and back pain in the Tai Chi group. Although 23 people had fractures, they all occurred in daily life, with fewer people in the Tai Chi group, 6 vs. 17.

This was an observational study, so it cannot establish cause and effect, but the researchers concluded: "Parkinson's disease can progressively worsen motor function and non-motor symptoms over time, leading to disability and affecting quality of life. Our study shows that Tai Chi has long-term beneficial effects on Parkinson's disease, improving quality of life, reducing care burden, and reducing medication use, especially for gait, balance, autonomic symptoms, and cognition, with potential disease-modifying effects."

Data chart and reference source:
https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2023/09/27/jnnp-2022-330967