OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of a 12-week program of therapeutic Tai Chi on the motor function and physical function of idiopathic Parkinson's disease patients (PDs). METHODS: The participants were 22 clinically stable PDs in Hoehn-Yahr stages 1 to 2 randomly assigned to a therapeutic Tai Chi group (TTC, n = 11) or a control group (CON, n = 9). Two subjects in control group did not complete the study for personal reasons. TTC was performed three days a week (60 min/session). Motor symptoms by the UPDRS were assessed, and tests of physical function were administered before and after the 12-week trial. RESULTS: The TTC group, as compared to the CON group, showed changes in the mentation, behavior, mood, and motor scales of the UPDRS (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, resp), with no significant main effects on the activities of daily living scale (ADL). However, there was a significant interaction between the time and intervention group on ADL (p < 0.05). There were no significant main effects for any of the physical function variables. There were significant interaction effects in balance and agility (p < 0.05, resp). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that TTC training had modest positive effects on the functional status of Parkinson's disease patients.

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