Effects of Tai Chi Therapy Versus Qi-Gong in Stage-I Parkinson's Patients.

June 17, 2026 updated by: Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences

Effects of Tai Chi Therapy Versus Qi-Gong on Postural Control, Functional Balance , and Motor Function in Stage-I Parkinson's Patients.

This study has important clinical, academic, and practical relevance in neuromuscular rehabilitation. Clinically, it aims to identify effective and tolerable rehabilitation strategies for individuals with Parkinson's disease by comparing Tai Chi Therapy with Qi-Gong there by supporting evidence-based physiotherapy practice and improving patient adherence. Academically, it contributes to the limited literature on comparative effectiveness of these interventions and incorporates patient-centered outcomes such as exercise perception, which are often underreported. From a practical and societal perspective, identifying a more acceptable and effective approach may enhance long-term participation in rehabilitation, potentially slow disease progression, and reduce the overall healthcare burden associated with Parkinson's disease.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, leading to motor symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. The title of the present study focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of Tai Chi Therapy versus Qi-Gong on Postural Control, Functional Balance and Motor Function in individuals with Stage-I with Parkinson's disease. The study design is a randomized controlled trial with participants allocated into two groups. The study duration is expected to span 8 to 12 weeks, allowing sufficient time for neuromuscular adaptations and observable functional improvements while maintaining feasibility and participant compliance. Outcome measures include standardized and validated tools such as the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale for assessing disease severity, the Berge Balance Scale is use for the functional balance and postural control these measures are recorded at baseline and post-intervention to determine the effectiveness of the rehabilitation protocol, providing comprehensive insight into motor Motor Control, Functional Balance and Motor Function in individuals with Stage I Parkinson's disease.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

50

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Salwa Atta
  • Phone Number: 03084579229

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
      • Lahore, Pakistan
        • Recruiting
        • The Meer's Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
        • Contact:
    • Punjab Province
      • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan
        • Recruiting
        • Ghurki Trust and Teaching Hospital
        • Contact:
          • Dr. Mir Shakeel Ahmad

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Diagnosis of PD based on the Hoehn & Yahr staging system (Stages I). Male or female patients aged between 50-65 years. Currently receiving stable anti-Parkinsonian medication, with no changes in the treatment regimen for at least 3 months. Basic self-care ability with no severe cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] score ≥24).

Exclusion Criteria:

Depression, as assessed based on a score of >16 for the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Recent deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment. Use of medication that interferes with cognition, alertness, or attention. Current participation in an exercise training program.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Tai Chi
Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese "moving meditation" that combines slow, gentle movements with deep diaphragmatic breathing and focused attention. It is designed to cultivate inner energy and harmonize mind and body, making it a popular low-impact, therapeutic exercise.
Other: Tai Chi
Group A will receive 8 weeks of standard conventional physical therapy plus Tai Chi (40 min of Tai Chi and 20 min of conventional physical therapy) total duration of session will be 60 minutes. The most commonly applied Tai Chi style will be Yang style.
Experimental: Qi Gong
It is a holistic, low-impact mind-body practice that combines slow, flowing movements, deep rhythmic breathing, and focused intention to balance energy flow, improve health, and enhance overall vitality.
Other: Qi Gong
Group B will receive 8 weeks of standard conventional physical therapy (20 minutes) plus Health Qigong Baduanjin and wuqinxi ( 40 minutes) with total duration of 60 minutes, 2 times a week each pattern for 8 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale
Time Frame: 8-12 weeks
It will be used for motor function. UPDRS shows high ICCs like 0.90 for Motor, 0.85 for ADL).A higher score indicates greater motor impairment and disease severity. Total score is 108 across 27 items. It will be used at pre and post intervention.
8-12 weeks
Berg Balance Scale (BBS)
Time Frame: 8-12 weeks
The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) is a widely used clinical test with 14 functional tasks (like sitting, standing, reaching, turning) to measure static and dynamic postural control and functional balance, primarily to assess fall risk in older adults and neurological patients (stroke, Parkinson's). It scores tasks from 0 (unable) to 4 (independent) for a total of 56, with lower scores indicating higher fall risk, helping therapists plan interventions. It Shows very high intra-rater (same tester) and inter-rater (different testers) reliability, with Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) often around 0.97-0.99. The Berg Balance Scale have 14-item. Each item is scored on a 0-4 scale, with a total score of 56 points indicating no balance deficit and lower scores correlating with higher fall risk. The patients with the scores between 0-20 have High fall risk (may need wheelchair), 21-40: Medium fall risk (may need cane/walker) and 41-56: Low fall risk (independent mobility).
8-12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences

Investigators

  • Study Director: Salwa Atta, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 30, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 10, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 17, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 17, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UBAS/ERB/26/4/039

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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