Purpose: This study was performed to verify the effect of Tai Chi exercise on patients with rheumatoid arthritis particularly their level of pain, fatigue, sense of balance and daily life performance (ADL).
Method: It employed a non-equivalent control group pre- and post-test design. The research instruments used in this study were pain, fatigue, sense of balance and ADL. Thirty-two patients in the experimental group carried out 50 minutes of Tai Chi exercise for 12 weeks, and 29 patients in the control group did not. Before and after the experiment, both groups were tested for pain, fatigue, sense of balance and ADL. Collected data were processed using the SPSS/WIN 10.0 program analyzed by the frequency, percentage, chi2-test, and t-test.
Results: Pain and fatigue significantly decreased in the experimental group. However the improvement in ADL of the rheumatoid arthritis patients was not statistically significant but their sense of balance was enhanced significantly.
Conclusion: Tai Chi exercise is an effective nursing intervention that can be used for rheumatoid arthritis patients.