The 50 Top-Cited Clinical Studies in Tai Chi: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Although numerous related articles have been published to date, there is still a lack of bibliometric analysis to summarize the highly cited papers on Tai Chi-related research. This study aimed to identify and characterize the 50 top-cited clinical studies published in Tai Chi. Methods Using the terms "Tai Chi" or "Taiji," we searched for publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (SCI-EXPANDED). The 50 top-cited clinical studies were included for further analysis. The first author, country, publication year, journal, total citations, average citations per year (from 2010 to 2023), participants, and study design were extracted from each eligible article. In addition, VOSviewer software was used to analyze keywords co-occurring in 50 articles to illustrate the research hotspots related to Tai Chi. Results The 50 top-cited articles were published between 1996 and 2017, with a mean of 176.02 (range 101 to 711) citations per article. The 50 top-cited articles were published in 28 journals, predominantly in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (n = 9) and Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (n = 7). These articles originated from 11 countries, with the United States (n = 30) and China (n = 14) being the most prolific. Clinical research hotspots around Tai Chi include populations: Parkinson's, stroke, mild cognitive impairment, osteoarthritis, postmenopausal women, and older adults; and outcomes: physical activity, sleep quality, geriatric depression, fall risk, and balance control. Conclusion The 50 most influential articles in Tai Chi clinical research were mainly published by American and Chinese scholars in geriatric and rehabilitation medicine journals, reflecting the future research hotspots of Tai Chi and healthy aging and disease prognosis.