Effects of a 12-week program of Tai Chi exercise on the kidney disease quality of life and physical functioning of patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis.


Author: Chang JH1, Koo M2, Wu SW3, Chen CY4

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Division of Nephrology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan.

<sup>2</sup>Department of Medical Research, Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Dalin, Chiayi, Taiwan; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

<sup>3</sup>Division of Nephrology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan; Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan.

<sup>4</sup>Research and Extension Center of Natural Healing Sciences, Nanhua University, Dalin, Chiayi, Taiwan; Department of Natural Biotechnology, Nanhua University, Dalin, Chiayi, Taiwan. Electronic address: chiuyuan@mail.nhu.edu.tw.
Conference/Journal: Complement Ther Med.
Date published: 2017 Feb
Other:
 Volume ID: 30   ,  Pages: 79-83   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2016.12.002. Epub  2016 Dec 7.   ,  Word Count: 251  
    BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that exercise training in patients with end-stage renal disease could improve their physical functioning and quality of life. Nevertheless, few studies have evaluated the effects of Tai Chi exercise in patients on hemodialysis.



OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of a Tai Chi exercise intervention on the quality of life and physical functioning in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis.



DESIGN: A pre-post experimental design.



SETTING: Patients, aged 20 years or older, on hemodialysis recruited from the hemodialysis unit at a medical center in central Taiwan were assigned, based on their own preference, to either a control group (n=25) or an intervention group (n=21).



INTERVENTION: A weekly one-hour short-form Yang style Tai Chi session for a total of 12 weeks.



MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physical functioning and Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) at the baseline and at the end of the intervention.



RESULTS: The least square means of repetition of sit-to-stand cycles in one minute (STS-60), 6-min walk test, and gait speed test were significantly improved in the intervention group. In addition, the least square means of the five different dimensions of the KDQOL were all significantly higher in the intervention group, except the SF-12 physical health score.



CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in the kidney disease quality of life and physical functioning were observed in Taiwanese patients on hemodialysis with a 12-week Tai Chi exercise intervention.



Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.



KEYWORDS: End-stage renal disease; Hemodialysis patients; Quality of life; Renal failure; Tai Chi; Tai Chi Quan



PMID: 28137531  DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2016.12.002