The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a 24-week Tai Chi exercise intervention on balance and other physical changes such as flexibility and reaction time(RT)among healthy older males.Methods:T...The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a 24-week Tai Chi exercise intervention on balance and other physical changes such as flexibility and reaction time(RT)among healthy older males.Methods:Thirty-eight male subjects aged 55-65 years without prior Tai Chi experience were recruited from a local community in Shanghai,China.A 60-min Tal Chi exercise session was performed three times a week for 24 weeks.Changes in RT,sit-and-reach flexibility and balance (static balance with eyes open and closed respectively)were measured before and after the Tal Chi intervention.Results:After the 24-week Tai Chi intervention,the choice RT(P ＜ 0.05)decreased,and sit-and-reach flexibility improved (P ＜ 0.01)over the pre-test(7.8 ±6.2 vs.7.1 ±3.0cm).Sway length,area,X-axis deviation amplitude and Y-axis deviation amplitude performance decreased significantly after the intervention with a double-foot stance with eyes open(P ＜ 0.05).Sway length,area and average sway speed showed a statistically significant decrease after the intervention with the double-foot stance with eyes closed.In the single-footstance with eyes open condition,sway length and average swayspeed showed a statistically significant decrease(P＜0.05).Conclusion:The 24-week Tai Chi exercise intervention had a positive influence on balance control in older males.Copyright(C)2012,Shanghai University of Sport.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.展开更多
基金supported by the Major Program of Shanghai Science Technical Committee,Shanghai(No. 08490512800)Shanghai Key Disciplinary Areas Ⅲof China(No.S30803)
文摘The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a 24-week Tai Chi exercise intervention on balance and other physical changes such as flexibility and reaction time(RT)among healthy older males.Methods:Thirty-eight male subjects aged 55-65 years without prior Tai Chi experience were recruited from a local community in Shanghai,China.A 60-min Tal Chi exercise session was performed three times a week for 24 weeks.Changes in RT,sit-and-reach flexibility and balance (static balance with eyes open and closed respectively)were measured before and after the Tal Chi intervention.Results:After the 24-week Tai Chi intervention,the choice RT(P ＜ 0.05)decreased,and sit-and-reach flexibility improved (P ＜ 0.01)over the pre-test(7.8 ±6.2 vs.7.1 ±3.0cm).Sway length,area,X-axis deviation amplitude and Y-axis deviation amplitude performance decreased significantly after the intervention with a double-foot stance with eyes open(P ＜ 0.05).Sway length,area and average sway speed showed a statistically significant decrease after the intervention with the double-foot stance with eyes closed.In the single-footstance with eyes open condition,sway length and average swayspeed showed a statistically significant decrease(P＜0.05).Conclusion:The 24-week Tai Chi exercise intervention had a positive influence on balance control in older males.Copyright(C)2012,Shanghai University of Sport.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.
