Long-term Tai Chi Exercise Lead to Enhanced Resistance Postural Perturbation among Older Adults

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

5-2018

Publication Title

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise Supplemental

DOI

10.1249/01.mss.0000536308.10415.f3

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of performing precision fitting task on the dynamics of postural sway among older adults.

METHODS: Three groups (12 each) participants aged 65 to 75 years recruited for the project: habitual Tai Chi practitioners (TC, body mass (M) = 64.4 ± 9.3 kg, height (H) = 162.5 ± 6.9 cm), long term brisk walkers (BW, M = 62. 8 ± 6.6 kg, H = 163.5 ± 6.5 cm), and sedentary (SE, M = 68.3 ± 7.0 kg, H = 163.9 ± 7.0 cm). Participants were asked to stand on a force plate (Kistler 9287C, Kistler Corporation, Switzerland) with their feet forming a 30° angle and their heels 8% body height apart. Participants were required to fit a 90 * 90 mm block into three different openings (small: 100 * 100, medium: 115 *115, and large: 130 * 130 mm) with two different distances (1 and 1.3 times arm’s length). The task time and base of support were recorded by optical gate and reflective markers using Vicon system (Vicon Corporation, UK) synchronized with force plate data collection. The average time-to-contact (TTC) measures were used to examine the dynamic of posture sway during fitting task. Two two-way ANOVAs were used to assess the effects of group by size for average TTC at the two reaching distances.

RESULTS: There was no group by size interaction observed for either distance (p > .05). Significant differences were detected for group (close: F2,99 = 11.567, p < .00; far: F2,99 = 13.549, p < .00) and size (close: F2,99 = 49.228, p < .00, far: F2,99 = 36.296, p < .00) for both distances. LSD Post Hoc revealed that TTC for TC was significantly less than that of the SE and BW at both close (2.30±0.56 vs. 2.81±0.71 vs. 2.61±0.71 s, p < .05) and far distance (1.82±0.31 vs. 2.30±0.61 vs. 2.11±0.58 s, p < .05). Additionally, TTC of small fitting size was significantly longer than that of the middle and lager fitting sizes, while TTC of middle size also was longer than that of the larger size at both close (3.25±0.75 vs. 2.46±0.43 vs. 2.14±0.28 s, p < .05) and far (2.52±0.57 vs. 1.98±0.42 vs. 1.74±0.30 s, p < .05) distances.

CONCLUSIONS: Small fitting opening provided greater perturbation to postural control lead to longer TTC. However, postural control of the TC revealed having greater resistance to the perturbation lead to shorter TTC. Therefore, Tai Chi training have the potential for resist postural perturbation and prevent fall among older adults.

Comments

© 2018 American College of Sports Medicine

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