Tai Ji for stroke rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial on improving upper limb function and cortico-muscular coupling in stroke patients.

The Tai Ji group had extra supervised training beyond the control group, so the observed benefit may reflect more therapy time rather than Tai Ji specifically. The paper reports a large between-group effect size for FMA-UE improvement (Cohen's d ≈ 1.84), but notes it includes both Tai Ji and extra training time. Fourteen of 84 randomized participants withdrew, leaving 70 analysed; this loss should be kept in mind when reading the result. The intervention lasted four weeks, so it does not show whether gains last or transfer to daily life. Muscle synergy metrics improved in both groups but did not differ significantly between groups, so the quantitative synergy analysis does not show a specific Tai Ji effect on synergy. Connectivity and correlation analyses were partly exploratory, and full results are in supplementary tables, so they generate hypotheses rather than confirm mechanisms. No structural brain imaging was done, so changes in electrical connectivity cannot be linked to tract integrity. Participants had to stand independently for over 5 min and walk independently for over 6 m, so results do not apply to patients unable to stand or walk. Only outcome assessors and the statistician were blinded, not participants or therapists, so performance and co-intervention differences are possible.

The work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province.

Do not conclude that Tai Ji alone caused the upper limb improvement. The Tai Ji group also received standard medical treatment, health education, and upper limb rehabilitation, plus extra supervised training, so the unique contribution of Tai Ji cannot be separated.