Author(s): QIAN, G., Institution: BEIJING RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF SPORTS SCIENCE, Country: CHINA, Abstract-ID: 2332

INTRODUCTION:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic lung disease that not only endangers individual health but also imposes a heavy medical burden on society. Research shows that reasonable exercise can effectively delay the progression of the disease, Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese mind–body practice that combines slow movement, diaphragmatic breathing, and focused attention. Evidence supports its benefits for physical function and mental well-being in people with chronic diseases. This study maps the past decade’s global research on Tai Chi for COPD, identifying key trends, hotspots, and gaps to guide future work.
METHODS:
We searched the Web of Science Core Collection (2011–2025) using the topic query TS=("Tai chi*") AND ("COPD" OR "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease") to identify studies and reviews on Tai Chi for COPD. After screening, 99 articles were analyzed using VOSviewer to map publication trends, country/institution affiliations, and research hotspots.
RESULTS:
In recent years, the research on Tai Chi treatment for COPD has continuously attracted international attention, and the number of related publications has remained stable. The top three countries in terms of publication volume are China, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and a cooperative network centered on China has been formed. The academic teams with high productivity and both publication volume and centrality mainly rely on universities and hospitals, including the University of Sydney, Harvard University, and Brigham&Women's Hospital. Waynezzai has the highest publication volume in the past 10 years and has established extensive cooperative relationships with other scholars. The co-occurrence analysis of keywords shows that after removing the original search terms, a total of 168 nodes and 718 links were obtained. The high-frequency keywords include quality of life, rehabilitation, physical-activity, etc. The emerging keywords in the past three years are guidelines, trials, efficacy, meta-analysis, and prevalence, indicating that early research focused on the effectiveness of Tai Chi in improving the quality of life and rehabilitation of COPD patients, and the recent research hotspots have shifted to clarifying the specific treatment plans and dose-effect relationships of Tai Chi for COPD. The cluster analysis of key reference literature obtained 7 clusters, and the top 10 cited articles were mostly related clinical trials.
CONCLUSION:
Current international research mainly focuses on the mechanism and effect analysis of Tai Chi in treating COPD, and future research still needs to continue conducting clinical trials on the improvement of the rehabilitation process and quality of life of COPD patients by Tai Chi.