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. 2018 May 17:7:2164956118775385.
doi: 10.1177/2164956118775385. eCollection 2018.

Tai Chi for Reducing Dual-task Gait Variability, a Potential Mediator of Fall Risk in Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Gloria Vergara-Diaz  1 , Kamila Osypiuk  2 , Jeffrey M Hausdorff  3   4   5   6   7 , Paolo Bonato  1 , Brian J Gow  2 , Jose Gv Miranda  1 , Lewis R Sudarsky  8 , Daniel Tarsy  9 , Michael D Fox  9   10 , Paula Gardiner  11 , Cathi A Thomas  12 , Eric A Macklin  10 , Peter M Wayne  2
Affiliations

Tai Chi for Reducing Dual-task Gait Variability, a Potential Mediator of Fall Risk in Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Gloria Vergara-Diaz et al. Glob Adv Health Med. .

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the feasibility and inform design features of a fully powered randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effects of Tai Chi (TC) in Parkinson's disease (PD) and to select outcomes most responsive to TC assessed during off-medication states.

Design: Two-arm, wait-list controlled RCT.

Settings: Tertiary care hospital.

Subjects: Thirty-two subjects aged 40-75 diagnosed with idiopathic PD within 10 years.

Interventions: Six-month TC intervention added to usual care (UC) versus UC alone.

Outcome measures: Primary outcomes were feasibility-related (recruitment rate, adherence, and compliance). Change in dual-task (DT) gait stride-time variability (STV) from baseline to 6 months was defined, a priori, as the clinical outcome measure of primary interest. Other outcomes included: PD motor symptom progression (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale [UPDRS]), PD-related quality of life (PDQ-39), executive function (Trail Making Test), balance confidence (Activity-Specific Balance Confidence Scale, ABC), and Timed Up and Go test (TUG). All clinical assessments were made in the off-state for PD medications.

Results: Thirty-two subjects were enrolled into 3 sequential cohorts over 417 days at an average rate of 0.08 subjects per day. Seventy-five percent (12/16) in the TC group vs 94% (15/16) in the UC group completed the primary 6-month follow-up assessment. Mean TC exposure hours overall: 52. No AEs occurred during or as a direct result of TC exercise. Statistically nonsignificant improvements were observed in the TC group at 6 months in DT gait STV (TC [20.1%] vs UC [-0.1%] group [effect size 0.49; P = .47]), ABC, TUG, and PDQ-39. UPDRS progression was modest and very similar in TC and UC groups.

Conclusions: Conducting an RCT of TC for PD is feasible, though measures to improve recruitment and adherence rates are needed. DT gait STV is a sensitive and logical outcome for evaluating the combined cognitive-motor effects of TC in PD.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; Tai Chi; dual-task performance; feasibility; gait analysis; randomized trial.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow of participants in randomization trial of subjects with Parkinson’s disease.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Mean stride-time variability (STV) during dual-task serial subtraction (DTcount) walking at baseline, 3, and 6 months by group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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