Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 91, Issue 1 , Pages 9-14, January 2010

Effects of a 12-Week Tai Chi Chuan Program Versus a Balance Training Program on Postural Control and Walking Ability in Older People

  • Thierry Lelard, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Adaptations Physiologiques à l'Exercice et Réadaptation à l'Effort, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens Cedex, France
    • ,
  • Pierre-Louis Doutrellot, PhD, MD

      Affiliations

    • Adaptations Physiologiques à l'Exercice et Réadaptation à l'Effort, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens Cedex, France
    • Service d'Explorations Fonctionnelles de l'Appareil Locomoteur, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens Cedex, France
    • ,
  • Pascal David, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Adaptations Physiologiques à l'Exercice et Réadaptation à l'Effort, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens Cedex, France
    • ,
  • Said Ahmaidi, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Adaptations Physiologiques à l'Exercice et Réadaptation à l'Effort, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens Cedex, France
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests to Said Ahmaidi, PhD, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Avenue P. Claudel, F-80025 Amiens Cedex, France

Abstract 

Lelard T, Doutrellot P-L, David P, Ahmaidi S. Effects of a 12-week Tai Chi Chuan program versus a balance training program on postural control and walking ability in older people.

Objective

To compare the respective effects of 2 balance training programs: a Tai Chi (TC) program and a balance training program on static postural control and walking ability.

Design

Randomized controlled trial.

Setting

General community.

Participants

Older subjects (N=28) participated in the study.

Interventions

The TC group (n=14; mean age ± SD, 76.8±5.1y) and the balance training group (n=14; 77.0±4.5y) were both trained for 12 weeks.

Main Outcome Measures

Static postural control was assessed via measurement of center of pressure sway under eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) conditions. Walking speed over a 10-meter course was also assessed.

Results

After the 12-week training period, there were no significant differences in walking speed or postural parameters in either the EO or EC conditions for the TC and balance training groups. Performance in the EC condition was lower than in the EO condition in pretest and posttest for the balance training and TC groups. The Romberg quotient (EO/EC ratio) was significantly higher after the balance training program than the TC program (P<.05).

Conclusions

We cannot conclude that the balance training program has better effects than the TC program on postural control or walking ability. None of the outcome measures showed significant change posttraining in either the TC or the balance training groups. However, the differences described in the Romberg quotient after the training period between the TC and the balance training groups suggest that TC should be helpful to limit the deleterious effects of eye closure on postural balance.

Key Words: Aged, Postural balance, Proprioception, Rehabilitation

List of Abbreviations: COP, center of pressure, EC, eyes closed, EO, eyes open, TC, Tai Chi, VCOP, center of pressure velocity

 

 No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.

PII: S0003-9993(09)00835-1

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2009.09.014

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 91, Issue 1 , Pages 9-14, January 2010

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