Tai chi Patient Views

Has your doctor or MDS ever suggested taking up tai chi to help with your balance? What about golf? New research suggests that golf might be even better than tai chi at helping with balance. What do you think? Does this surprise you? Have tried practicing tai chi and/or playing golf, and did you notice an improvement in your balance? Have any other physical activities helped you in this area?

Though I haven’t taken PD fitness classes, I have been taking T’ai Chi, Yoga, and Arthritis Exercise classes, all geared for seniors, and all have been a help. None are back in person yet, but they all are on Zoom – same instructors at the same times and days. I use my guest bedroom for these classes, and have been able to keep going throughout the pandemic.

Previous to COVID-19 the patient attended Yoga, T’ai Chi, and an exercise class each week at their local hospital. These classes did much to improve their physical health as well as to provide wonderful social experiences. Once they needed to stay home they became much more sedentary. They knew they should exercise but just could not make themselves do it on their own. They definitely lost ground during those weeks, even suffering from sciatica. Happily, over the past couple of weeks, both their local hospital and the local libraries started to provide classes using Zoom. They are now doing more than they had before COVID-19, and they feel so much better!

Very interested in the outcome of this. I practice tai chi and my hunch is the results will be positive.

Thank you for sharing, a fellow forum member. Have you always been active person or did you take up Tai Chi, Tae Kwan Do and yoga post-diagnosis?

I have been taking virtual exercise classes since last spring, when the exercise classes (yoga, t’ai chi, general exercise) I had been taking at my local hospital stopped having our regular classes. These classes are given by the same instructors at the same time as we had previously had our classes, and I find them to be excellent. I also have been taking chair yoga and t’ai chi classes from our local library (these are free, the ones from my hospital are $5 per class), and I also enjoy these very much. I have set aside one room in my house for these classes. The materials I need for my classes are right there, and going into that room puts me in the frame of mind that I am actually going to a class. I have had PD for over 10 years, and I have been going to classes for at least the past eight years. They make a huge difference for me. I NEED these classes!

Any exercises to get my arm swing back on my affected side. Tremor dominant, no pigs and very good balance from tai chi?

Dancing was new to me and the best. Contemporary and ballet adult classes. Tango would be good too. My son helps our coordination in an artistic way. Boxing. I love walking in the outdoors across the fields, has a double benefit of improving our mood. Same for running and cycling. I also picked my old tai chi that I learned 10 years ago. I do the 108 wu style. I’ve reminded myself from YouTube but learning from scratch really needs to be done in a class. Oh yes, stretch and strength online with a guy called Tom Morrison. There are regressions (easier versions for everything). Check him out on YouTube, very funny, but the system works and the Facebook page is very supportive.

Shame I don’t lie in the US. I started dance when I was diagnosed and now it is part of my treatment that I pay for. I participate in ballet and contemporary dance. They have both helped tremendously giving strength and movements back that I had lost. Unfortunately, I think this paper will go the way of all other ps by being too generic to be useful. It is the discipline of complex movement that is so beneficial and it really matter how you practice the moves. I also practice long form wu style tai chi. Again the quality of the movement is really important. For people who are not so dedicated it can be helpful but not nearly as much as when you really apply yourself.

This has been a very creative year intellectually. I’ve written 2 books to teach my grandkids about art and have started to learn to paint with acrylics. My PK symptoms have gotten much worse and have taken up Tai Chi to help with balance issues. I had been very physically active but everything has gotten worse so as a last resort Thai Chai has my attention. PT only made matters worse.