The Effects of Tai Chi in Older Patients With Cardiovascular Disease

Summary

Cardiac exercise rehabilitation consists of walking and bicycling activities. As the population requiring rehabilitation is aging, other forms of exercise may be useful and better tolerated. Tai Chi has been used for centuries, is easy to perform even by more debilitated individuals, and promotes improvement in blood pressure, fitness, and relaxation. Tai Chi may be more beneficial for frail cardiac patients because it is especially suited for the unfit and elderly, and can be practiced anywhere. Further studies are required to assess this form of exercise in cardiac patients. The objective of this randomized controlled study is to compare the effects of Tai Chi to "sham exercise" training in 200 frail cardiac patients who have completed six months of cardiac rehabilitation and are 60 years of age or older. Participants will be randomized to Tai Chi or "sham exercise" training and have their gait speed, blood pressure, heart rate, exercise capacity, balance, quality of life and cognitive function assessed before and after 24 week of training.

Conditions

• Cardiovascular Disease

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Tai Chi exercise

A short and simple 8-forms Tai Chi routine will be used in this study. This routine has been previously standardized and field tested. Participants will be coached, by a certified Tai Chi instructor, in practicing the proper mechanics of executing each of the eight physical movements comprising the 8-forms of Tai Chi. A brief 5 minute period of walking calisthenics pertinent to Tai Chi movements, postures and diaphragmatic breathing will take place before training to warm up and after training to cool down. The Tai Chi training will be 2 times a week and the total exercise time, including warm-up and cool down, will be 50 minutes for each session. Over a period of 12 weeks, the participants will learn all 8-forms and continue practicing them for the final 12 weeks of the training period.

BEHAVIORAL

Sham Exercise

The sham exercise (control) group will be involved in low-intensity stretching exercises two times per week. These exercises will be designed as a "sham exercise" condition. A brief 5 minute period of walking will take place before the sham exercise to warm up and after the sham exercise to cool down. Sham exercise sessions will include stretching exercises of the neck, trunk and extremities. The total exercise time for the "sham exercise" group will be 50 minutes and participants will meet 2 times per week for a period of 24 weeks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario

  collaborator OTHER

• Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation

  collaborator OTHER

• McMaster University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Robert S McKelvie, MD, PhD · Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation

• Heather M Arthur, PhD · McMaster University

• George Heckman, MD, MSc · University of Waterloo

• Noori Akhtar-Danesh, PhD · McMaster University

• Maureen MacDonald, PhD · McMaster University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2011-11-30

Primary Completion

2013-06-30

Completion

2013-06-30

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations