Tai Chi to prevent falls/fracture - Osteoporosis Message Board

osteoblast · 04-17-2007, 11:06 AM

Hi all- My doctor has recommended that I take Tai Chi . She said it has been proven to prevent falls and fracture by improvement of balance. Anything that will be of any help is of interest to me.

Does anyone on this board have experience with Tai Chi? Is it absolutely essential to go to a class , or can one learn something from a dvd? Some time ago, I saw some people practicing in a local park and asked one of them the question. A man told me you must have a class. But right now this is hard for me and I just feel there must be something you can learn from a dvd. No matter if you don't do it perfectly at least you might be getting an idea of how to do it.

Well, I bought Scott Cole's Discover Tai Chi for Beginners. It's not so easy to follow but it is pleasant and with time I am thinking I will get the basics. Does anyone have experience with Tai Chi programs for use at home-any ideas about other dvd's?

Thanks for any input.

bushteabeliever · 04-17-2007, 11:50 AM

I am logging on here for the first time to post some info/questions regarding osteopenia/porosis and I saw your question about T'ai Chi. I took it for several years, many years ago and had to stop because we had out-of-state family obligations that lasted several years. It was wonderful! Unfortunately it is no longer offered in our Adult Community School curriculum - night and Saturday classes. I think that it would be difficult to get started just with video but it would certainly be worth a try. Maybe you could join or just observe the people you saw in the park? You might also look for a DVD with Joey Bond. I have seen it in stores but have not viewed it myself. Good luck! I think you will be very happy when you start "doing" T'ai Chi
btb

osteoblast · 04-17-2007, 02:17 PM

bushteabeliever-thank you for your response. You said that you took classes for several years. How many classes did you take before you felt you could do Tai chi decently on your own? You said it was wonderful- in what ways did it help you??

The class in the park is over , but I think I may have found a class that would work with my schedule. The class commences real soon and is 10 weeks an hour a week. I hope the class isn't full yet.

Also- welcome to this board! You will find people who are very helpful , caring and well informed.

PikaB · 04-21-2007, 10:21 AM

For a study of the effects of Tai Chi on BMD ("A randomized, prospective study of the effects of Tai Chi Chun exercise on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women"), go to [url]www.pubmed.gov[/url] and search for 15129394. After one year, both groups had lost BMD, but the control group lost about 3 times more BMD than the Tai Chi group. And as would be expected, the control group had more fractures than the Tai Chi group. The Tai Chi group did 45 minutes of exercise a day, 5 days a week.

Two years ago I intended to begin Tai Chi from DVD, but I found the instructions too complicated, so I switched to Dao Yin, which is somewhat similar, but easier (for me).

suzieuk45 · 04-21-2007, 02:52 PM

Hi there - I did a Tai Chi class for a couple of months up to Xmas - it was really good but it is slow progress. For various reasons I wasn't able to go back after Xmas but will try to start it again. You really do need a class - it is quite complicated and I found it difficult to follow as the class was aimed at all levels (I thought it was a beginners class) and some people had been doing Tai Chi for years - needless to say I couldn't follow them. I want to try to find an absolute beginners' class. I also have a book and DVD but can't follow it. You need to do it everyday to really benefit I think (I didn't). I think if you are not doing it properly it just doesn't work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by osteoblast

Hi all- My doctor has recommended that I take Tai Chi . She said it has been proven to prevent falls and fracture by improvement of balance. Anything that will be of any help is of interest to me.

Does anyone on this board have experience with Tai Chi? Is it absolutely essential to go to a class , or can one learn something from a dvd? Some time ago, I saw some people practicing in a local park and asked one of them the question. A man told me you must have a class. But right now this is hard for me and I just feel there must be something you can learn from a dvd. No matter if you don't do it perfectly at least you might be getting an idea of how to do it.

Well, I bought Scott Cole's Discover Tai Chi for Beginners. It's not so easy to follow but it is pleasant and with time I am thinking I will get the basics. Does anyone have experience with Tai Chi programs for use at home-any ideas about other dvd's?

Thanks for any input.