Department of Sports Medicine, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China.
J Evid Based Med. 2010 Nov;3(4):205-19. doi: 10.1111/j.1756-5391.2010.01107.x.
To systematically summarize the evidence for the effects of martial arts on health and fitness, to show the strengths of different types of martial arts, and to get a more complete picture of the impacts of martial arts on health, and also to provide a basis for future research on martial arts as an exercise prescription in exercise therapy.
We searched for "martial arts""health" and "random" in eight databases (n= 5432). Randomized controlled trials and controlled clinical trials on the health effects of martial arts were included in the study.
The final analysis included 28 papers (one general martial arts, one kung fu, sixteen tai chi, six judo, three karate, and one taekwondo). Among the disciplines of martial arts, tai chi was the most well-studied, followed by judo, karate, and taekwondo. Research topics varied widely, and included health, injuries, competition, morals and psychology, and herbal medicine. Most found positive effects on health. Tai chi is no-contact, low-impact, soft body and mindfulness exercise, which has been widely adopted by elderly people and proven to be a beneficial health promotion exercise. Research on judo, karate, and taekwondo mainly focused on improvements to athletes' competitive abilities, rather than on health effects. We did not find any published randomized controlled trials or controlled clinical trials on aikido, kendo, sumo, kyudo, qi gong, or other disciplines.
Since martial arts are widely practiced, their effects on physiology, morphology, immunology, and neurology should be further studied in order to help people to select the best discipline or style to accomplish their purposes. This necessitates categorizing and classifying the disciplines and styles according to their effects on different body systems and levels of contact, as well as standardizing evaluation criteria for martial arts. Martial arts as an exercise prescription can then move from an experience-based to an evidence-based treatment.
系统总结武术对健康和健身的影响证据，展示不同类型武术的优势，更全面地了解武术对健康的影响，为未来将武术作为运动疗法中的运动处方提供依据。
我们在 8 个数据库中检索了“武术”“健康”和“随机”的相关内容（n=5432）。纳入了研究武术健康影响的随机对照试验和对照临床试验。
最终分析包括 28 篇论文（1 篇综合武术、1 篇功夫、16 篇太极拳、6 篇柔道、3 篇空手道和 1 篇跆拳道）。在武术学科中，太极拳的研究最多，其次是柔道、空手道和跆拳道。研究主题广泛，包括健康、损伤、比赛、道德和心理以及草药。大多数研究都发现了对健康的积极影响。太极拳是一种无接触、低冲击、柔和身体和正念的运动，已被老年人广泛采用，被证明是一种有益的健康促进运动。关于柔道、空手道和跆拳道的研究主要集中在提高运动员的竞技能力上，而不是健康影响上。我们没有发现任何关于合气道、剑道、相扑、弓道、气功或其他学科的已发表的随机对照试验或对照临床试验。
由于武术被广泛练习，应该进一步研究其对生理学、形态学、免疫学和神经学的影响，以帮助人们选择最佳的学科或风格来达到他们的目的。这需要根据对不同身体系统和接触程度的影响对学科和风格进行分类和分级，并规范武术的评估标准。武术作为运动处方可以从经验基础转变为证据基础的治疗方法。
