The effect of Tai Chi on functional mobility, balance and falls in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of systematic reviews.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of Tai Chi on functional mobility, balance and falls in Parkinson's disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify the systematic reviews and meta-analyses up to the end of October 2021. 601 studies were identified, and 16 of them were included in our study. RESULTS: According to our meta-analysis; there was a significant effect of Tai Chi on balance (SMD, -0.777 95% CI -0.921 to -0.633; p = 0.000), functional mobility (SMD, -0.719 95% CI -0.944 to -0.494; p = 0.000), and falls (SMD, -0.456 95% CI -0.668 to -0.245; p = 0.000) in PD. CONCLUSION: Our systematic review and meta-analysis found significant effects of Tai Chi on functional mobility, balance and falls in patients with PD.

Trunk Control in Children With Ataxic Cerebral Palsy.

This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of trunk control in children with ataxic cerebral palsy (CP). We included 15 children with ataxic CP with a mean age of 9.46 years (SD = 1.08 years, 5-17 years) and 15 healthy children with a mean age of 9.06 years (SD = 0.84 years, 5-13 years). While the small sample size and large age range used here were not ideal for generalizability, they were made necessary by the rarity of this clinical sample. We used the Gross Motor Function Classification System Expanded and Revised (GMFCS-E&R) to classify the children's functional levels, and we tested trunk control with the Trunk Control Measurement Scale (TCMS). We then used the Gross Motor Function Measurement-88 (GMFM-88) to assess their gross motor functions. We compared the total and subscale scores of the TCMS in healthy children and children with ataxic CP by using the Mann-Whitney U Test. We also analyzed differences between TCMS scores according to the children's GMFCS levels with the Mann-Whitney U Test and also compared TCMS scores with the GMFM-88 by means of Spearman correlation analysis. Spearman correlation analysis was used to compare the scores of the TCMS with the GMFM-88. Our results showed that healthy children showed significantly higher scores than children with ataxic CP in total and subscale scores of TCMS (p < .05).There was no significant difference between the TCMS scores in children of different GMFCS levels, but the GMFM-88B subscale was significantly correlated with the static sitting balance (rho = .568, p < .05) and dynamic sitting balance (rho = .547, p < .05) TCMS subscales and with the TCMS total score (rho = .590, p < .05). We concluded that trunk control, especially its dynamic aspects, was impaired in children with ataxic CP.

The effect of Tai Chi and Qigong on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of systematic reviews.

The overall aim of the treatment in Parkinson's disease is to optimize functional independence, safety, well-being and thereby health-related quality of life. Tai Chi and Qigong are widely used exercises in Parkinson's disease, but there is insufficient evidence to support or refute the efficacy of Tai Chi and Qigong, especially on health-related quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and a meta-analysis from the systematic reviews that evaluate the effectiveness of Tai Chi and Qigong on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify the systematic reviews and meta-analyses by using Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PubMed, etc., databases up to the end of November 2018. From 1504 articles, seven fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in our study. Five of the included systematic reviews were about Tai Chi, and two of them were about both Tai Chi and Qigong. According to our meta-analysis, there was no significant effect of Tai Chi and Qigong on health-related quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease, when compared to the control group (standardized mean difference -0.166, 95% confidence interval -0.676 to 0.344; P = 0.523). In conclusion, our systematic review and meta-analysis showed no significant effect of Tai Chi and Qigong statistically on health-related quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease, but the small effect size in our study favoured the potential benefit of Tai Chi and Qigong on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease.

The effectiveness of specific exercise types on cardiopulmonary functions in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a systematic review.

The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of specific exercise types on pulmonary functions, aerobic and functional capacity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). A systematic search of Cochrane Database of Systematic Review, MEDLINE (EBSCO), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), CINAHL (EBSCO), PUBMED, AMED, EMBASE (OVID) was conducted in January 2016. The outcome measures were spirometric measurements, chest expansion, 6 minute walk distance (6MWD), pVO2, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). The search strategy was applied with limitation of date and language and this initial electronic search resulted in 143 relevant studies. After duplicates were removed, the titles and abstracts of 52 articles were screened. Of these, 14 full-text articles met initial criteria and were retrieved for review, with eight studies meeting final inclusion criteria. Both specific and conventional exercise groups showed significant improvements in BASDAI and BASFI scores (p < 0.05) in patients with AS, although there was no significant difference between two exercise groups. As for pulmonary functions, the specific exercise groups have greater improvements than conventional group in spirometric measurement, chest expansion (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between specific conventional exercise types in 6MWD (p > 0.05). Specific exercises are an effective adjuvant therapy to enhance cardiopulmonary functions in patients with AS; therefore, it is assumed that in addition to the medical treatments, specific exercise therapy might reduce the cardiopulmonary complications related with AS.