Seated Tai Chi Improves Dynamic Finger Pointing Task and Sitting Balance Control in Subjects With Parkinson's Disease

Seated Tai Chi Improves Dynamic Finger Pointing Task and Sitting Balance Control in Subjects With Parkinson's Disease: A Prospective Study

The goal of this prospective study is to investigate the effects of 3 months seated Tai Chi (TC) practice on the eye-hand coordination and sitting balance control of subjects with Parkinson's disease. The main objective it aims to answer are the effects of seated TC training on:

• Shoulder joint range of motion;
• Eye-hand coordination;
• Dynamic sitting balance control; and
• Quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's disease

Researchers compared seated TC training with a control group to see if it improved the aforementioned outcomes.

Participants completed:

• 3-month TC training of 24 sessions in total
• two sessions per week and each session lasted for 1-hour
• went on with their usual physical activities and routines outside the training

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Parkinson's Disease and Parkinsonism; Tai Chi
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Seated TC

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 56
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077
    • Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Confirmed diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD)
• Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scored over 24
• Individuals with mobility levels suitable for participation in seated TC

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Seated TC; Type of intervention: 12-form Yang-style seated Tai Chi routine23 under the supervision and guidance of a certified Tai Chi master Duration: 3 months (24 sessions in total) Frequency: 2 sessions per week, 1 hour per session	Behavioral: Seated TC; 3-month seated Tai Chi training (24 sessions in total) given to Parkinson's disease patients
No Intervention: Control; Control group continued with their usual daily routines and activities

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Shoulder mobility	Shoulder flexion range of motion	Immediate after 3-month training period
Eye-Hand Coordination Test	Reaction time, movement time, accuracy	Immediate after 3-month training period
Dynamic sitting balance	Participants were assessed using the Sequential Weight Shifting Test where they were seated on a force platform equipped with four load cells capable of measuring forces ranging from 40 to 400 pounds to calculate their accuracy of centre of pressure shifts during the test	Immediate after 3-month training period
Quality of life of Parkinson's disease patients	Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39)	Immediate after 3-month training period

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Collaborators: Hong Kong Metropolitan University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: William Wai Nam Tsang, PhD, Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 29, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 15, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): September 30, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 8, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 8, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): April 15, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 15, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 8, 2025
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Tai Chi; Parkinson's disease; Eye-hand coordination; Sitting balance control
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Synucleinopathies; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Movement Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Parkinson Disease; Parkinsonian Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: No.2019/1002

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Data is available on reasonable request

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No