Tai chi for arthritis, seniors and safety: FAQ

It can help. The American College of Rheumatology's 2019 guideline strongly recommends tai chi for osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, and studies suggest it may ease pain and stiffness and improve balance. It doesn't cure arthritis, and it works best alongside the treatment your doctor recommends. With rheumatoid or another inflammatory arthritis, ask your rheumatologist first.

Often, yes, if you adapt it. Keep your stances high, take shorter steps, and keep each knee in line with its toes, never past them. Stop if you feel sharp pain. If standing hurts, start with chair tai chi.

Sun style, with its high stances and small follow-steps, is gentlest on the joints. It's the basis of Dr. Paul Lam's Tai Chi for Arthritis program. Any style works if you keep the stances high. Compare the styles.

Rest the sore joints, or switch to a few minutes of gentle seated breathing and arm movements. Go back to your usual practice once the flare settles. If a flare is new or severe, check with your doctor.

Short and often works best: 10 to 20 minutes on most days. In studies of knee osteoarthritis, people usually practiced two or three times a week for about 12 weeks before they noticed a difference.

Yes. Start with five minutes a day, keep your stances high and hold a chair if you need to. Try the 5-minute session.

Ten to twenty minutes on most days. Research programs usually meet two or three times a week for at least 12 weeks.

You can learn the basics in a week or two. Most people learn the 24-form in two to three months, one group of moves a week.

Yes, for the basics. A teacher can still spot things you can't, so mix home practice with an occasional class.

Loose clothes, and flat, thin-soled shoes or bare feet on a non-slip floor.

Yang style or the 24-form, because that's what most classes teach. Sore joints? Try Sun style. Compare the styles.

Look at community centers, YMCAs, senior centers and hospitals. A good teacher lets you try a class, adapts to your body and never pushes you into pain.

Generally, yes: it's low-impact. Check with a health professional first if you have a heart or joint condition, osteoporosis or dizziness, are recovering from an injury, or are pregnant.

Yes. It's one of the best-studied exercises for balance and fall prevention in older adults. Try the balance builder or seated session.

Yes. Seated tai chi keeps the arm movements, waist turns and breathing. Follow the seated session.

Often, once your midwife or doctor says it's fine. Avoid deep stances and one-leg moves, and keep a chair nearby.

"Supreme ultimate": the balance of opposites, like yin and yang. The full name, taijiquan (太极拳), adds quan, "fist," because it's a martial art.

Yes, originally. Every move has a self-defense use, but most people practice for health.

Slow movement builds strength and balance, and gives you time to notice and release tension.

A traditional Chinese idea of "breath" or "vital energy." You don't need to believe in it to benefit.

Qigong is short breathing-and-movement exercises, repeated. Tai chi links moves into longer forms with martial roots. More.