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Tai Chi Training in Stroke Survivors

NCT03252236 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 56

Last updated 2017-08-21

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

People with stroke suffer from different impairments, including the ability to dual-tasking, increased arterial stiffness, and dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. The decrement in dual-tasking performance has been found among stroke survivors, and the deterioration has been related to increased risk of fall in the population. No coherent result has been concluded from previous studies investigating the effect of different types of exercise training on enhancing dual-tasking performance among healthy older adults and stroke survivors.

Increased arterial stiffness and impaired functioning of the autonomic nervous systems, which have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk and mortality, are common in stroke survivors. Studies have been suggesting the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on both decreasing arterial stiffness and regulating the autonomic nervous system among healthy older people. However, only a few studies concerning such topic have been conducted among stroke survivors, yet the results were inconsistent.

Tai Chi is a Chinese traditional martial art and has been employed as a rehabilitation exercise in recent decades. Tai Chi practitioners should perform the physical movement and plan the Tai Chi forms simultaneously. The involvement of cognitive functioning gives Tai Chi a dual-tasking character. Prior studies demonstrated the beneficial effect of Tai Chi training on dual-tasking performance in healthy older adults, but would the effect extend to stroke survivors has not yet been studied.

Also, Tai Chi is considered as a mind-body exercise. It is suggested that one should keep a relaxed status of mind and breathe gently and slowly. Moreover, Tai Chi is an exercise with moderate intensity. These features have been found to decrease arterial stiffness and benefit functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Indeed, studies have been showing Tai Chi reduces arterial stiffness and improves regulation of the autonomic nervous system among healthy population. Whether such effect can be observed in stroke survivors is still unknown.

This study aimed at investigating the effects of Tai Chi training on dual-tasking performance, arterial stiffness, and autonomic system functioning among stroke survivors. Given the special features of Tai Chi and its advantageous effects on the mentioned functioning, it is expected that stroke survivors may also benefit from Tai Chi training.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Tai Chi

Modified 12-form Yang style Tai Chi.

BEHAVIORAL

Conventional exercise

Conventional exercises included mobilization, stretching, muscle strengthening, and walking training.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • William Wai Nam Tsang, PhD · The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
50 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2014-10-01
Primary Completion
2016-12-31
Completion
2016-12-31

Countries

  • Hong Kong

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03252236 on ClinicalTrials.gov