Hip fractures are not an inevitable outcome of aging; the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons reports on its website that the most common cause of hip fractures in people over age 65 is falls. Having a hip fracture can be devastating. You can lose your independence: 40 percent of people who suffer a fractured hip require nursing home care, and 50 percent will have to use a cane or a walker permanently. Practicing tai chi can help reduce your risk of falls by increasing your strength, coordination and flexibility.
Causes of Hip Fractures
Because falls are the most common cause of hip fracture in people over 65, preventing them is important. Muscle weakness, poor flexibility and coordination are common causes of falling. Medications can also make you prone to falling, particularly if they decrease your blood pressure, the NIHSeniorHealth website warns. Chronic health conditions, such as arthritis, can impair your mobility. Lower mobility causes you to lose your muscle strength, and increases your risk of suffering a hip fracture if you fall.
What Is Tai Chi?
Tai chi began as a martial-arts discipline, and over the centuries has become known as a fitness system with healing properties. There are several different branches of tai chi, the Tai Chi Central website reports, and all a share common philosophy of balance and harmony. Tai chi is practiced for fitness, for relaxation, for health and as a moving meditation.
Tai Chi Movements
Tai chi focuses on rhythmic breathing and muscle coordination. Each joint in your body slowly moves within the limits of comfort. This permits the muscles and ligaments to slowly stretch and become more flexible over time. As flexibility and balance improve, the amount of stress on your joints diminishes. This allows easier movement and better alignment of your joints and muscles. As your muscles become stronger and your ligaments more flexible, your overall coordination improves. Slow, deep breathing helps you to relax as you perform the movements.
Tai Chi and Fall Prevention
A pair of studies found positive benefits for older adults in practicing tai chi. One, whose results were published in the "Journal of Advanced Nursing" in 2005, found that tai chi movements improved strength and reduced falls in adults living in long-term-care facilities. The other, noted in the "Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy" in 2010, concluded that tai chi is an economically effective program to improve balance and coordination. By improving strength, coordination and balance, tai chi is a vital weapon against falls and hip fractures.
References
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Falls and Hip Fractures
- NIHSeniorHealth: Falls and Older Adults --- Causes and Risk Factors
- Tai Chi Central: Tai Chi
- PudMed.gov: Effects of Sun-Style Tai Chi Exercise on Physical Fitness and Fall Prevention in Fall-Prone Older Adults
- PudMed.gov: Tai Chi as a Balance Improvement Exercise for Older Adults: a Systematic Review
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