Tai chi exercise for your bones

Tai Chi exercise for Osteopenia, Osteoporosis and a whole lot more. Here is a meditative exercise which you could do at home. It is a program that can be done by your and by the old and it requires NO  special equipment.

Also there are scientific studies that show it:

• Improves balance and reduced falls - thus preventing fractures.
• Slows bone loss in post menopausal women
•  Has been more effective than water exercise for those with arthritis
• Reduces tension headaches
• Gave significant improvement for those with Osteoarthritis
• Decreased blood pressure in those with hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Improved blood lipid scores (cholesterol)
• Improved mood and sense of well being Appears useful for those in the early stages of Parkinson's disease
• Improves quality of life and range of motion in breast cancer survivors
• Enhances immune response
• Improves flexibility and kinesthetic sense
• Has been shown safe for those with chronic heart failure

Impressed? Well, the above list comes from reading only half the studies published in peer reviewed journals about Tai Chi exercise.

You can do Tai Chi too . . . and I think you will like it.

Many community centers or adult education programs offer Tai Chi classes on a regular basis.  And it is good to practice with others.

Visitors to China often return telling stories about people of all ages practicing Tai Chin in the public parks. Many older persons start their day with the practice - greet the sun. I do not know of any other countries were people gather outdoor in public space to practice this ancient mind/body meditation form.

But not everyone is in a place where public practice is the norm. In fact many of us live in areas where there are no courses....no experienced teachers.

There are several a program that teaches Tai Chi that I have found useful. There are a number of programs on YouTube Tai Chi.  What I have found helpful is that I can replay the video clip several times until I feel I had the movement down right.  

If you prefer a CD or DVD, Amazon sells several:

If you want to explore the research:

You can do a web search for this. All are online:

1. 2004. A randomized, prospective study of the effects of Tai Chi Chun exercise on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. was published in Archive Phys Med Rehabilitation. It concluded that "TCC exercise intervention is beneficial for retarding bone loss in weight-bearing bones in early postmenopausal women."
2. 2005 Journal Bone Miner Metab. published "Beneficial effects of regular Tai Chi exercise on musculoskeletal system"
3. n May 2007 the journal, Arch Phys Med Rehabil published a study which reviewed the 'evidence for Tai Chi exercise as an intervention to reduce rate of bone loss in post menopausal women
4. In 2007 researches published "The effects of Tai Chi on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: a systematic review". It can be found at:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17466739    
   

If you have used Tai Chi to help you with your Osteopenia, Osteoporosis and want to share your experience with others, please use the form below.

NOTE: If you want your comment published, you must put the url from the top of this page in the FIRST LINE of your comment.  (I use this form on many pages and without that url, I will not know where to insert your comment.)

Here are some comments from readers who have used  Tai Chi exercise:

Kate, not sure this is positive enough and won't be bummed if you don't need it but here you go:  I took a Tai Chi course  and after only seven weeks of class and practicing almost daily  my balance is noticeably better. I can stand on one foot to pull
 on socks and underwear and I am not wobbling and tipping over!

 Just an FYI since I somehow look upon you as my osteopenia confessor!... I have discovered I actually broke a bone in my foot last November.

It may be a combination of Osteopenia and TMTS (as my husband the  Physical Therapist says "too much too soon") as I was walking alot and walking pretty ruggedly i.e. trails.

So here I sit in a darn walking cast hoping it heals. I am so mad at myself for ignoring the pain but learned a valuable lesson about my health.  As always, thank you for your efforts.  Virginia Beres" United States"Tue. Mar 2015

Have you used Tai Chi exercise for your bone loss? Want to share with others? Use the form below. Be sure to include the url from the top of this page so I know where to post your comment. Without the url, I will not be able to publish your comment. Thanks.