Tai Chi (TC) can be considered safe and effective intervention to improve pain and pain-related functional disability. However, it is unclear that whether aging individuals with Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain (CNS-LBP) can achieve positive results. This study, therefore, attempted to explore the effects of TC on pain and functional disability in CNS-LBP patients aged 50 years old or above. Forty-three individuals (aged 50 years old or above) with CNS-LBP were randomly assigned into three groups: Chen-Style TC group (n = 15), Core Stabilization training (CST) group (n = 15), and control group (n = 13). Participants in the TC group participated in Chen-style TC training program (three 60-min sessions per week for 12 weeks), individuals in CST group received 12-week Core Stabilization exercise on the Swiss ball, whereas individuals in the control group maintained their unaltered lifestyle. Pain intensity as primary outcome was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), A BiodexSystem 3 isokinetic dynamometer was used to measure knee and ankle joint position sense (JPS) as secondary outcomes at baseline and after the 12-week intervention. TC and CST have significant effects in VAS for CNS-LBP patients (p< 0.01, TC group OR CST group versus control group in mean of the post-minus-pre assessment). However, the feature of joint position sense (JPS) of ankle inversion, ankle eversion and knee flexion did not occur, it showed no significant effects with TC and CST. TC was found to reduce pain, but not improve lower limb proprioception in patients with CNS-LBP. Future research with larger sample sizes will be needed to achieve more definitive findings on the effects of TC on both pain and lower limb proprioception in this population.

Background Very little research has been done to simultaneously investigate the effects of Tai Chi (TC) on depression and heart rate variability (HRV). This study, therefore, attempted to explore the effects of TC on depression and on HRV parameters. Methods Sixty older individuals with depression score of 10 or above (the Geriatric Depression Scale, GDS) were randomly assigned into two groups: TC (n = 30) and control group (n = 30). Participants in the experimental group participated in a 24-week TC training program (three 60-min sessions per week), whereas individuals in the control group maintained their unaltered lifestyle. Depression and HRV were measured using the GDS and digital electrocardiogram at baseline and after the 24-week intervention. Results The TC had produced significant positive chances in depression and some HRV parameters (mean heart rate, RMSSD, HF, LFnorm, and HFnorm) (p < 0.05), whereas these positive results were not observed in the control group. Conclusions The results of this study indicated that TC may alleviate depression of the elderly through modulating autonomous nervous system or HRV parameters. This study adds to a growing body of research showing that TC may be effective in treating depression of the elderly. Tai Chi as a mild to moderate mind-body exercise is suitable for older individuals who suffer from depression.

Objectives: For this paper, we aimed to investigate the effects of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) versus the Core Stability Training (CST) program on neuromuscular function (NF) in the lower extremities among aging individuals who suffered from non-specific chronic lower back pain (NLBP). Regarding the design, during a 12-week intervention, a single-blinded randomized controlled trial was used to compare two intervention groups with a control group on the parameters of NF. Methods: Forty-three Chinese community-dwellers were randomly assigned into two intervention groups (three sessions per week, with each session lasting 60 min in TCC and CST) and a control group. The patient-based Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure the level of perceived pain, while parameters of NF as primary outcomes were measured by the Biodex System 3 Isokinetic Dynamometer. Results: For the knee joint, we observed significant differences in the endurance of left extension at a speed of 60°/s: (1) between TCC and control groups (p < 0.01); (2) between CST and control groups (p < 0.01). For the ankle joint, significant differences between CST and control groups were observed on the peak torque of left dorsiflexion (p < 0.05) and the endurance of the left plantar flexion at a speed of 60°/s (p < 0.05). In addition, we observed a significant difference between TCC and control groups in the endurance of the right plantar flexion (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Chen-style TCC and CST were found to have protective effects on NF in aging individuals with NLBP, while alleviating non-specific chronic pain.

Objective: The aim of this meta-analytic review was to quantitatively examine the effects of traditional Chinese exercises (TCE) on pain intensity and back disability in individuals with low back pain (LBP). Methods: Potential articles were retrieved using seven electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Web of Science, Cochrane library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang). The searched period was from inception to 1 March 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of TCE on pain intensity and back disability in LBP patients were included. Pooled effect sizes were calculated using the random-effects models and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results: Data from eleven RCTs (886 individuals with LBP) meeting the inclusion criteria were extracted for meta-analysis. Compared with the control intervention, TCE induced significant improvements in the visual analogue scale (VAS) (Hedge’s g = −0.64, 95% CI −0.90 to −0.37, p < 0.001), Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) (Hedge’s g = −0.41, 95% CI −0.79 to −0.03, p = 0.03), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) (Hedge’s g = −0.96, 95% CI −1.42 to −0.50, p < 0.001), and cognitive function (Hedge’s g = −0.62, 95% CI −0.85 to −0.39, p < 0.001). In a meta-regression analysis, age (β = 0.01, p = 0.02) and total exercise time (β = −0.0002, p = 0.01) were associated with changes in the VAS scores, respectively. Moderator analyses demonstrated that Tai Chi practice (Hedge’s g = −0.87, 95% CI −1.38 to −0.36, p < 0.001) and Qigong (Hedge’s g = −0.54, 95% CI −0.86 to −0.23, p < 0.001) reduced VAS scores. Interventions with a frequency of 1–2 times/week (Hedge’s g = −0.53, 95% CI −0.98 to −0.07, p = 0.02) and 3–4 times/week (Hedge’s g = −0.78, 95% CI −1.15 to −0.42, p < 0.001) were associated with reduced VAS scores, but this significant reduction on this outcome was not observed in the weekly training frequency of ≥5 times (Hedge’s g = −0.54, 95% CI −1.16 to 0.08, p = 0.09). Conclusions: TCE may have beneficial effects for reducing pain intensity for individuals with LBP, regardless of their pain status.

Objective: This study is the first meta-analysis investigating the rehabilitative effects of Wuqinxi for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Five electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CNKI, and Wanfang) from inception until early November 2018 were searched. All randomized controlled trials (RCT) using Wuqinxi as the main intervention component were included for meta-analysis. The pooled effect sizes (Standardized mean difference, SMD) were calculated to determine the magnitude of the Wuqinxi intervention effect. Moderator analysis was only conducted for total training time. Results: Overall results of the meta-analysis indicated that Wuqinxi exercise significantly improved exercise capability (SMD = 1.18, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.84, e < 0.001, I² = 84.97%), FEV1 (SMD = 0.44, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.77, e < 0.001, I² = 33.77%), FEV1% (SMD = 0.59, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.93, e < 0.001, I² = 63.79%), FEV1/FVC (SMD = 0.65, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.93, e = 0.006, I² = 44.32%) and CCQ (SMD = 1.23, 95% CI 0.31 to 2.14, e = 0.01, I² = 93.32%). Conclusions: With no occurrence of adverse event, clinicians could try to incorporate Wuqinxi exercise into their first-line rehabilitation regime for COPD patients.

With the increasing competition in elite sports, pre-competition anxiety has become increasingly prevalent among high-level competitive athletes, and high levels of such anxiety may impair sports performance and threaten athletes’ psychological health. Traditional psychological interventions (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy) are often poorly accepted and costly; however, pre-competition anxiety in these athletes may be alleviated through multiple pathways of traditional mind–body exercises like Tai Chi. Yet, the psychological mechanism by which mind–body exercises such as Tai Chi training influence pre-competition anxiety remains insufficiently explored, particularly the chain-mediating effect of the “flow experience → mental toughness” pathway. This study thus aimed to investigate the impact of Tai Chi training on pre-competition anxiety in high-level competitive athletes and verify the chain-mediating role of the “flow experience → mental toughness” pathway, thereby providing a theoretical basis and practical reference for sports psychology interventions. Using a randomized controlled experimental design, 86 high-level competitive athletes were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 43) and a control group (n = 43). The experimental group received standardized Tai Chi training for 8 weeks, while the control group maintained their regular training regimen. Data were collected at baseline, week 4, and week 8 of the intervention using the Competition State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2), and Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ), and chain-mediating effects were tested via hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrap method with 5000 resamples. The results indicated that Tai Chi training could reduce pre-competition anxiety levels (β = −0.30, p < 0.5), and both flow experience (β = 0.38, p < 0.5) and mental toughness (β = 0.21, p < 0.5) exerted significant mediating effects. The chain mediation model further revealed that Tai Chi training alleviated pre-competition anxiety by enhancing flow experience and improving mental toughness sequentially (β = 0.01, 95% CI [0.00, 0.03]), accounting for 78.9% of the total mediated effect. In conclusion, Tai Chi training is associated with reduced pre-competition anxiety in high-level competitive athletes, and this relationship is statistically mediated by the sequential pathway of flow experience and mental toughness. These findings offer a new theoretical basis and practical direction for mind–body interventions in sports psychology. It should be noted that future research could further optimize and refine the intervention protocol, and explore the underlying mechanism of mind–body interventions at the neurobiological level.