Older adults who practice tai chi are less likely to fall, a small new study suggests.

一项新的小型研究表明，练太极拳的老年人跌倒的可能性要小得多。

Researchers said that elderly people who practiced the martial¹ art were more than 50 percent less likely to suffer a fall than those who just performed stretching exercises.

研究人员称，相比只做做拉伸运动的老年人，练太极拳的老年人跌倒的可能性要低50%以上。

Around one in three US adults aged 65 or older report having fallen -- and 38 percent of these falls lead to injuries that can result in ER visits, hospitalization, or death.

美国65岁及以上成年人当中有三分之一曾跌倒，其中38%的人因此受伤，进而有可能看急诊、住院或死亡。

The team, led by researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing, says it hopes the findings lead to more older adults taking up the practice to prevent themselves from experiencing large hospital bills, a loss of independence or premature² death.

由俄勒冈卫生科学大学护理学院的研究人员领导的研究小组表示，他们希望这一发现能促使更多的老年人开始练太极拳来防止自己面临高额医药费、丧失自理能力或过早死亡。

Developed in China in the 1670s, tai chi was first formed as a self-defense technique but has since evolved into a form of exercise.

太极拳起源于17世纪60年代的中国，最初是作为一种自卫术，后来发展成为一种运动形式。

It combines slow, flowing movements along with deep breathing to keep the body moving and to practice balance.

它将平缓流畅的动作与深呼吸相结合，让身体运动起来并练习平衡。

Tai chi is often recommended for older adults because it is a low impact exercise that puts little to no stress on the joints³ or muscles.

太极拳经常被推荐给老年人，因为它是一种低强度锻炼，对关节和肌肉的压力几近于无。

There has been some evidence in past research that shows tai chi can help reduce falls.

过去的研究结果也曾有证据表明太极拳可帮助减少跌倒。

A 2012 study from the Oregon Research Institute found that tai chi was the best exercise in treating balance issues in adults with Parkinson's disease.

俄勒冈研究所2012年的一项研究发现，太极拳是治疗帕金森症成人患者平衡问题的最佳运动方式。

And a 2012 review of 159 trials found that the martial art was the most successful exercise in reducing the risk of falling.

2012年对159项试验的评估发现，太极拳是降低跌倒风险的最有效运动方式。

Additionally, a 2014 review also found that tai chi reduced the fear of falling in adults living in retirement⁴ communities.

此外，2014年的一项评估还发现，练太极拳减少了居住在养老社区的成年人对跌倒的恐惧。

For the current study, the team looked at 670 Oregonians who were 78 years old on average over the span of 24 weeks.

在目前这项研究中，研究小组对平均年龄为78岁的670名俄勒冈人进行了连续24周的观察。

To participate, the adults either had to have fallen once in the last 12 months and have a clinician's referral to being at risk of falls, or have impaired⁵ mobility⁶.

参与这项研究的成年人要么在过去12个月里跌倒过一次并被临床医生认定有跌倒风险，要么行动能力受损。

They were then assigned to one of three exercise groups: tai chi; stretching exercise; or multimodal exercise, which incorporates balance, aerobics⁷ and flexibility⁸.

然后他们被分成三个锻炼组：太极拳，拉伸运动，包含平衡、有氧和柔韧的多模式运动。

Researchers found that after six months, the tai chi group was 58 percent less likely to experience falls compared to the stretching group and 31 percent less likely compared to the multimodal exercise group.

研究人员发现，6个月后，太极拳组跌倒的可能性比拉伸组低58%，比多模式运动组低31%。

In total, 733 falls were recorded among the participants. There were 85 falls in the tai chi group compared to 112 in the multimodal exercise group, and 127 in the stretching group.

参与者总共出现了733次跌倒，其中太极拳组有85次，而多模式运动组有112次，拉伸组有127次。

'Not falling is a pretty complex physiological⁹ behavior,' co-author Dr Peter Harmer, a professor of exercise and health science at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, told HealthDay.

论文合著者、俄勒冈州威拉米特大学的运动与健康科学教授彼得·哈默博士向《HealthDay》透露：“不跌倒是一种非常复杂的生理行为。”

He told the website that regaining¹⁰ balance requires a combination of muscle strength along with feedback from your eyes and ears.

他告诉该网站，恢复平衡需要将肌肉的力量与眼睛和耳朵的反馈相结合。

'Tai chi directly challenges the integration¹¹ of all those things,' he said.

他表示：“太极拳直接挑战所有这些东西的整合。”

Dr Harmer also added that while traditional exercises focus on up and down movement, tai chi involves multi-directional movement.

哈默博士补充称，传统的锻炼侧重于上下运动，太极拳则涉及多向运动。