Global Trends in Tai Chi Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

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.