# Global Trends in Tai Chi Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

## TL;DR

This paper maps global Tai Chi research trends from 1978 to 2025, showing growth in publications and key research themes like health benefits and cognitive aging.

## Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of Tai Chi research, identifying thematic clusters and suggesting future directions.

## Key findings

- China led in publication output, while the U.S. had the highest citations, forming a dual-core pattern.
- Nine keyword clusters were synthesized into five themes, including motor function, chronic disease, and cognitive aging.
- The field is driven by a small group of authors, with limited visibility in mainstream medical journals.

## Abstract

Tai Chi has evolved into a widely used mind–body practice increasingly incorporated into complementary therapy, rehabilitation, and public health. This study provides an updated global bibliometric overview, with VOSviewer mapping publication performance, co-authorship networks, and keyword-based thematic clusters. Articles and reviews with Tai Chi–related terms in the title were retrieved from Scopus, with no restrictions on language or publication year. A total of 2253 publications from 1978 to 2025 were analyzed, revealing steady growth, concentrated largely in the past decade. China led the publication output, while the United States had the highest number of citations, forming a dual-core pattern. The field is largely driven by a small group of authors and regional clusters, and its visibility in mainstream medical journals remains limited. Nine software-generated keyword clusters were manually synthesized into five themes: motor function (balance and fall prevention), musculoskeletal conditions (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia), chronic disease management (cardiovascular disease, stroke, COPD), psychological health (quality of life, depression, anxiety, mindfulness), and cognitive aging (dementia, mild cognitive impairment). Future progress requires greater methodological rigor, including mechanistic inquiry, long-term study designs, and community- or population-level applications, along with stronger international collaboration and deeper integration into clinical and public health practice.