Seniors Find Cure for Chronic Pain in Tai chi


Tai chi chuan began as a martial art in China thousands of years ago. Transported to the West in the last several decades, it has taken on the form of a health-conscious exercise.

Slow movement Tai Chi is credited for mending soft tissue and producing a meditative quality. It's appeal as low-stress training and its aesthetic quality has drawn boomers and seniors to it in droves. Some claim that only Tai Chi broke the spell of chronic pain.

The exercise has become popular within retirement residences, like Independent Living and Assisted Living.

In Niagara-on-the-Lake, (NOTC), Ontario, Kim Stevens, a retired police officer discovered Taoist Tai Chi to be the only help for injuries suffered in a head-on collision, 20 years earlier. He became a regular at the NOTC Community Centre and practiced the ancient exercise sequence under the guidance of a master.

"I had tried many different things, but if anything worked, it was only temporary. Taoist Tai Chi not only helped, it kept the pain from returning," Stevens told Niagara Advance. And the health benefits have been augmented by a sense of calm.

The ex-police officer joked with the media source: "Now, if a driver cuts you off on the road, you wave at him with all five fingers."

"Taoist Tai Chi is very calming. And that feeling of tranquility stays with you," he remarked to the media source.

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