Will your competent? doctor get you recovered enough to do this or are OTHER EXACT METHODS AVAILABLE TO PREVENT THE PROBLEM?
I tried Tai chi once but had to adjust all the moves to fit my limitations.
Published: February 14, 2026DOI: 10.7759/cureus.103588 Cite this article as: Branscom G A, Vama B, Bane B, et al. (February 14, 2026) Tai Chi Interventions for Slowing Cognitive Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Cureus 18(2): e103588. doi:10.7759/cureus.103588
Abstract
The objective of this review was to compile randomized controlled trials that examined the effectiveness of tai chi in slowing cognitive decline among individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We limited our review to studies with interventions that lasted at least six months (≥ 24 weeks).Three databases were searched using similar search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria to identify studies for review. In total, eight randomized controlled trials were included. The inclusion criteria limited the selected articles to RCTs whose patients all had MCI and were at risk for developing cognitive decline. All eight studies revealed that tai chi slows cognitive decline among patients with MCI across various domains, including memory, attention, and global cognition, compared to the control groups.Notably, improvements in patient cognition were consistently observed across studies. Three studies using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment revealed a greater increase in MoCA scores from baseline to follow-up (≥24 weeks) among the tai chi intervention group compared to the non-tai chi control group (0.84, 1.3, and 2.9). Similarly, two studies using the Mini-Mental State Examination found greater cognitive improvements among the tai chi group than in the control group from baseline to follow-up (0.60 and 0.48). In conclusion, this review supports tai chi as a promising intervention for slowing cognitive decline in individuals with MCI. Positive effects were observed across various cognitive assessments. Thus, these findings may help guide patient care strategies and inform clinical models for MCI management.
Introduction & Background
As accessibility to medical care continues to improve globally, longer life expectancies continue to be observed. By 2030, 1 in 6 individuals will be 60 years or older, and the global elderly population is expected to double from 1 billion in 2030 to 2.1 billion in 2050
[1]. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to impaired cognition without impairment of social and daily activities, and it is mostly observed among the aging population. An estimated 15.6% of the global population of community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and older have MCI
[2]. MCI has been described to affect one or more cognitive domains in learning and memory, language, complex attention, executive function, social cognition, and visuospatial function. The histopathology is heterogeneous, with some studies reporting MCI being associated with the buildup of amyloid plaques (identified via the Bielschowsky silver method) and others noting neuronal loss
[3]. Since many presentations of MCI develop into dementia
[4], prevention efforts are increasingly important in mitigating the incidence of dementia in elderly populations.
Tai chi, also known as tai chi chuan/quan or taiji, was developed in China by martial artist Chen Wangting at the end of the Ming dynasty (17th century) [5]. Tai chi is a mind-body exercise that incorporates physical, cognitive, and psychosocial components [6]. While the practice of tai chi is extremely popular in the East and is even cited as the most common regular form of exercise in Shanghai, China, it remains an emerging activity in the West whose popularity is gradually increasing [7-9]. From 2007 to 2017, a 64% increase in tai chi engagement was observed among individuals in the United States who participated in the National Health Interview Survey [10]. Tai chi is a highly recommended exercise for older adults due to its low-intensity movements that promote participant safety and its benefits for balance, muscle flexibility, and muscle endurance [11]. Current clinical guidelines recommend that patients with MCI conduct both physical and mental exercise routines to help mitigate further cognitive decline, with some studies investigating tai chi’s use in MCI specifically [12-13]. Learning choreography for tai chi enhances visuospatial processing, processing speed, and episodic memory [14]. Additionally, the sustained attention and multitasking behaviors required for tai chi improve executive functioning while the meditative components reduce susceptibility to anxiety and depression [15].
The aim of conducting this review is to compile available research that meets rigorous criteria and assess the efficacy of tai chi as an intervention for the longitudinal prevention of cognitive decline and dementia. While there are existing review papers on the effects of tai chi on MCI, they are limited in size [16], are not specific to MCI and include other types of cognitive deficits [17], and/or are not exclusively examining long-term interventions and follow-up periods (≥24 weeks) [18-19]. This review adds new knowledge to the literature because of our rigorously defined inclusion criteria, most notably limiting included studies to RCTs whose patients all had MCI and were at risk for developing cognitive decline, and those intervention periods lasting at least six months (≥24 weeks). Since individuals with MCI are at risk of cognitive decline throughout the rest of their lives [3], it is necessary to focus exclusively on longitudinal effects. Thus, this review offers novel insight that can inform researchers and clinicians involved with treating patients with MCI about the role of complementary therapies like tai chi.
Review
Methods
Search Strategy
Covidence was used to compile the results from the searches across three separate databases. From a total of 348 studies, an automated screening was conducted to reduce the number of studies to n=218 (Figure 1).
The search strategy we conducted was in consultation with a research librarian in our field. We conducted a comprehensive search across three databases: PubMed, Scopus, and APA PsycINFO (Table 1). We automatically filtered only for papers written in the English language, along with an additional filter for middle-aged patient populations. We then found search terms using the National Library of Medicine’s Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) online tool.
