TAI CHI AND POSTURAL CONTROL IN THE WELL ELDERLY

In this study, we investigated the potential value of t'ai chi in promoting postural control of the well elderly. T'ai chi, a traditional Chinese exercise, is a series of individual dancelike movements linked together in a continuous, smooth-flowing sequence. Performance on five balance tests of 9 t'ai chi practitioners was compared to that of 9 nonpractitioners. An analysis of variance demonstrated that in three of the tests, the t'ai chi practitioners had significantly better postural control than the sedentary nonpractitioners (p < .05). It was also found that men performed significantly better than women in both the practitioner and nonpractitioner groups on the same three tests (p < .01).