Abstract
BackgroundTo investigate whether a simplified and personalized Tai-Chi program could be beneficial for practitioners. A prospective quasi-experimental observer-blinded controlled trial was done in Beitou District of Taipei City.MethodsCommunity-dwelling adults aged 65 and older without debilitating disease (N = 50) participated the study. Those who were willing to participate in exercise program were assigned to individualized Tai-Chi (iTC) group (n = 20), receiving iTC training for 8 weeks, and traditional Tai-Chi (tTC) group (n = 15), receiving tTC training for 8 weeks. Those who were not willing to participate in exercise training were included in the control group (n = 15). Functional balance tests, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), timed up-and-go (TUG) test, functional-reach test, and measurement of lower-extremity muscle strength were conducted before and 8 weeks after the intervention.ResultsSignificant improvements were noted in all functional balance tests and strength assessments of 16 major lower-limb muscle groups in participants of the iTC group compared to the control group, whereas only BBS and muscle strength of hips and ankles were improved in the tTC group. Practitioners of iTC outperformed tTC in BBS and strength of two major muscles.ConclusionsPersonalized Tai-Chi training designed based on an objective measurement and conducted according to graded intensity and complexity benefitted practitioners after a short period.Trial registrationTrial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03659396, Unique Protocol ID: 1000087Date of registration: 03/28/2017The trial was registered retrospectively
Highlights
To investigate whether a simplified and personalized Tai-Chi program could be beneficial for practitioners
We previously reported the development of a personalized Tai-Chi exercise program for older adults based on the measurements of practitioners’ center of pressure displacement [15]
We investigated the effect of an individualized Tai-Chi (iTC) regimen on functional balance control and lower-extremity muscle strength and compared the results of the iTC exercise group with those of control and traditional Tai-Chi (tTC) exercise groups
Summary
To investigate whether a simplified and personalized Tai-Chi program could be beneficial for practitioners. Individuals of a similar biological age may exhibit a wide variance in their responses to exercise because of Several simplified Tai-Chi programs have been developed [11,12,13,14]. These exercises have primarily been designed in accordance with experts’ opinions without considering participants’ ability, and the training sessions have not involved graded progression because. We investigated the effect of an iTC regimen on functional balance control and lower-extremity muscle strength and compared the results of the iTC exercise group with those of control and tTC exercise groups
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