Contact: Eileen Teves, 210-450-7239, tevese@uthscsa.edu
Content provided by Claire Kowalick
SAN ANTONIO, May 7, 2025 – Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) are blending an ancient movement practice known as tai chi and reimagining it through artificial intelligence (AI) in a new study. The project aims to prevent dangerous falls in people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by tailoring tai chi into a personalized, AI-guided therapy.
Led by Wei Liu, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at UT Health San Antonio’s School of Health Professions and research director of the Human Performance and Rehabilitation Research Lab, the study explores how this centuries-old martial art can become a modern, data-driven intervention for one of the leading causes of injury among older adults.
“When you’re doing tai chi, it’s a challenge to your dynamic balance. That means you’re using your brain, connecting your muscles, then making the whole thing work,” said Liu. “The hypothesis is that if people with dementia learn how to challenge the balance, then they begin to get used to that challenging environment when they translate this motion and motor-learning skills into daily activities, like walking, and hopefully have less fall risk.”
Liu is developing a personalized mobile app powered by artificial intelligence, supported by an award from the San Antonio Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center. The app will evaluate patient health data and “prescribe” tailored tai chi routines designed to improve balance and reduce fall risk in individuals with early cognitive decline. Lixin Song, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and vice dean of research and scholarship with the School of Nursing, is co-investigator of the study.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls are a serious and costly risk for people living with dementia, who are up to three times more likely to fall than those without the condition. In Texas alone, falls among older adults cost the health care system $2.4 billion annually.
Liu’s research focuses not just on tai chi as a form of gentle exercise, but as a targeted intervention. His lab uses markerless motion tracking technology and biomechanical modeling to study how specific tai chi forms affect dynamic balance, gait, and joint load, which are key factors in fall prevention.
Tai chi’s roots date back to Chinese martial arts from the 17th century, blending animal-inspired movements into a series of slow, deliberate forms. Liu’s studies show that even eight minutes a day of optimized tai chi can produce significant physiological responses, improving balance, strength, and even cognitive function.
By narrowing the practice to a curated set of movements, the program could provide comparable clinical outcomes to longer routines, making it more accessible for individuals with dementia and other conditions.
“We’re now investigating optimized tai chi strategies for interventions in a variety of patient populations,” said Liu.
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