EFFECTS OF TAI CHI ON BALANCE AND GAIT IN STROKE SURVIVORS: A SYSTEMATIC META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS

Objective: To investigate the effects of tai chi on balance and gait in stroke survivors. Methods: A systematic meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the effects of tai chi on balance and gait in stroke survivors. Results: Five randomized controlled trials, with a total of 346 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. All of these studies had a high bias based on the Cochrane Collaboration recommendation, and a relatively small sample size. In the pooled analysis, the tai chi group exhibited a significantly better gait ability than the control group, as evaluated with the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) (-0.26 [-0.50 to-0.03], p = 0.027; I-2=0%, p = 0.682), but no significant difference in dynamic standing balance scores was found between tai chi and control groups (0.154 [-0.269 to 0.578], p = 0.475; I-2=26.6%, p = 0.256). Conclusion: Tai chi may be beneficial for stroke survivors with respect to gait ability in the short term, but further large, long-term randomized controlled trials with standard evaluation indicators are needed to confirm this conclusion.