Tai Chi Research: Balance, Function, and Study Population

What Tai Chi Research Says About Balance, and Who Was Studied

By NewEasternHealth.com Research Team | Updated September 24, 2026

Tai chi is a practice that combines slow, gentle movements, physical postures, a meditative state of mind, and controlled breathing. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, research suggests tai chi may improve balance and help prevent falls in older adults and people with Parkinson's disease, a condition that affects movement. The evidence is stronger for some groups than others, and it depends on who was studied. This guide explains that in plain language and gives you a worksheet for your own questions.

Safety First: When to Skip the Reading and Get Help

This article is general education. It cannot tell you whether tai chi is right for you. If you have had a serious fall, an injury, or sudden new trouble with balance, walking, speech, or strength, contact your health care provider promptly. For an emergency, call your local emergency services.

NCCIH also advises against using tai chi to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem.

Tai Chi and Its Research in Plain Language

NCCIH says tai chi began as an ancient martial art in China. Over the years, it has become more focused on health promotion and rehabilitation. When this guide says “research,” it means studies where people do a tai chi program and researchers measure things like falls, balance, or walking.

These terms come up often:

Randomized controlled trial (RCT): a study where people are randomly assigned to a tai chi group or a comparison group (the “control” group), so the two can be compared.
Systematic review: a paper that gathers many studies on the same question and analyzes them together.
Certainty of evidence: how much confidence the review authors had in a result. “Low certainty” means less confidence, and “high certainty” means more.
High bias: design problems in a study that could push its results in one direction.
Osteoarthritis: a joint condition that can cause pain and stiffness.

Our Evidence File page explains how we rank study types on this site. For the bigger picture of how tai chi fits alongside acupuncture and herbal products, see Traditional Chinese Medicine: Practice System, Product, and Evidence Are Different.

Myth Versus Reality

Myth: “Research proves tai chi prevents falls for everyone.”
Reality: NCCIH says tai chi may be beneficial for balance and preventing falls in older adults and people with Parkinson's disease. For stroke, osteoarthritis, and heart failure, NCCIH says it is unknown whether tai chi can help reduce falls.
Myth: “Tai chi is the only exercise that improves balance.”
Reality: In the 2019 fall-prevention review NCCIH describes, other forms of exercise were also helpful. Balance and functional exercises had high-certainty evidence for reducing falls.
Myth: “A study of one group tells us what will happen for everyone.”
Reality: Results depend on the study population. Studies of older adults living in their communities, people with Parkinson's disease, and stroke survivors reached different conclusions.
Myth: “Tai chi research covers traditional Chinese medicine as a whole.”
Reality: NCCIH treats tai chi separately from Chinese herbal products. For herbal products, it says many studies have been of poor quality, so no firm conclusions can be made about effectiveness. Its Herbs at a Glance series covers herbs and botanicals, not tai chi.
Myth: “Tai chi instructors are licensed, so any class meets a standard.”
Reality: NCCIH says tai chi instructors do not have to be licensed. The practice is not regulated by the federal government or individual states, and there is no national standard for certification.

What the Research Shows About Balance and Falls

Older adults

NCCIH describes a 2019 review of exercise for preventing falls in older people living in their communities. Compared with control groups not thought to reduce falls, the review found:

Rate of falls: low-certainty evidence that tai chi may reduce the rate of falls by 19 percent (7 studies, 2,655 participants).
Number of people who fall: high-certainty evidence that tai chi may reduce the number of people who experience falls by 20 percent (8 studies, 2,677 participants).

“Rate of falls” counts how often falls happen. “Number of people who fall” counts how many people have falls. The two measures had different certainty ratings, so they should not be blended into one claim.

Balance and functional exercises, such as rising from a chair, stepping up, or turning while standing, were also studied. The review found high-certainty evidence that they could reduce the rate of falls by 24 percent and lower the number of people who experience falls by 13 percent.

Parkinson's disease

A 2021 review looked at three studies with 273 participants in total. They did 60-minute tai chi sessions two to three times a week for 12 weeks to 6 months. The analysis found a significant positive effect on reducing falls compared with no intervention and with other interventions such as resistance training and stretching. A separate 2020 summary of three reviews rated the certainty of the evidence as low.

NCCIH also describes a larger 2021 review of 26 studies of tai chi and qigong (a similar practice) in people with Parkinson's disease, covering more than just falls. The authors said the results were limited by different types and lengths of programs, the variety of other therapies compared, small numbers of participants, and different stages of the disease.

Stroke

A 2018 review of 5 randomized trials with 346 participants found that tai chi improved walking gait in the short term. It did not improve balance during reaching movements outside the center of gravity. The authors noted that all the studies had high bias and were small, and they called for large, long-term trials.

Knee osteoarthritis and heart failure

A 2021 review of 11 studies (603 participants) found a positive effect on walking function and posture control in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. The authors said more high-quality studies are needed. For heart failure, NCCIH says no definite conclusion can be drawn about falls.

Older adults with chronic conditions

A 2020 review of 13 studies (869 participants) found a small positive effect on quality of life and depressive symptoms. It found no significant effect on mobility or physical endurance. The authors described the evidence as low quality.

Evidence Limits to Keep in Mind

Programs varied. NCCIH notes that the length and frequency of tai chi sessions varied among the studies in the fall-prevention review. For knee osteoarthritis, review authors said high-quality studies are needed to determine the best type, intensity, frequency, and duration of tai chi.
Some groups were small. Several reviews included few participants or studies with high bias.
Certainty ratings differ. Some findings are rated low certainty and others high certainty, even within the same review.
Your situation may not match the study group. Participants in a study may differ from you in age, health conditions, or activity level.
Safety data have limits too. NCCIH says tai chi appears to be safe. A 2019 review of 24 studies (1,794 participants) found similar rates of adverse events in tai chi, other active interventions, and no intervention. The adverse events linked to tai chi or other active interventions were minor, such as muscle and joint aches. That describes groups of study participants, not a promise for any one person.
Pregnancy is understudied. NCCIH says there are no published studies on the safety of tai chi during pregnancy. It advises talking with your health care providers before starting.
Source dates differ. NCCIH's overview of traditional Chinese medicine was last updated in April 2019. Its tai chi fact sheet, which contains the newer reviews cited above, shows a December 2023 update. Newer studies may exist that neither page includes.

Conversation Worksheet

This worksheet helps you prepare questions. It does not recommend a program or replace medical advice. Write your answers down and bring them to your health care provider.

Step 1: Describe your situation

Why am I interested in balance or tai chi research right now?
Do I have any health conditions, injuries, or recent falls I should mention?
Am I pregnant, or could I be? (If yes, NCCIH advises talking with your provider first.)

Step 2: Check whether the research matches you

Who was studied: older adults living in their communities, people with Parkinson's disease, stroke survivors, or someone else?
Do I resemble that group in age and health?
Did the study compare tai chi with no treatment, or with another exercise?
Was the certainty of the evidence described as low or high?

Step 3: Questions to ask my health care provider

Given my health history, is a tai chi program reasonable for me to consider?
Are there movements or activities I should avoid?
How would we tell whether my balance is changing?
Should tai chi be used alongside my current care, and how do I keep all my providers informed?

Step 4: Questions to ask an instructor

What training and experience do you have? (NCCIH advises asking, since there is no national standard.)
Have you taught people with needs like mine?
How are movements adjusted for different abilities?

Step 5: Keep your whole care team informed

NCCIH recommends telling all your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use, so they have a full picture.

Sources

NCCIH, Traditional Chinese Medicine: What You Need To Know (last updated April 2019).
NCCIH, Tai Chi: What You Need To Know (last updated December 2023), which is linked from the traditional Chinese medicine overview.
NCCIH, Herbs at a Glance, cited only for the point that it covers herbs and botanicals, not tai chi.

Read more about how we handle sources on our Editorial Policy page.

Educational Disclaimer

This article is general educational information. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not tell you to start, stop, or change any exercise, medicine, or care plan. Talk with a qualified health care provider about your own situation. See our Medical Disclaimer and About page for more.

NewEasternHealth.com is an independent publication written by the NewEasternHealth.com Research Team. It is not a medical practice or clinic. This domain was previously associated with a healthcare practice that operates elsewhere, and this site has no affiliation with it. See the Non-Affiliation Notice.