Abstract
Lan C, Lai J-S, Chen S-Y, Wong M-K. Tai chi chuan to improve muscular strength and
endurance in elderly individuals: a pilot study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2000;81:604-7.
Objective: To evaluate the training effect of a Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) program on knee extensor
muscular strength and endurance in elderly individuals. Design: Before-after trial. Setting: Community setting. Participants: Forty-one community dwelling subjects aged 61.1 ± 9.8 years undertook a TCC program.
Nine dropped out during the study. Pretraining and posttraining measurements were
obtained from 15 men and 17 women. Intervention: Subjects participated in a 6-month TCC program. Each session consisted of 20 minutes
of warm-up, 24 minutes of structured TCC training, and 10 minutes of cool-down exercises.
Main Outcome Measures: Peak torque of dominant and nondominant knee extensors was tested at speeds of 60°,
180°, and 240°/sec concentrically and eccentrically. Muscular endurance of the knee
extensor was tested at the speed of 180°/sec. Results: In the group of men, concentric knee extensor peak torque increased by 15.1% to 20.0%
and eccentric peak torque increased by 15.1% to 23.7%. The group of women also showed
increases, ranging from 13.5% to 21.8% in concentric peak torque, and 18.3% to 23.8%
in eccentric peak torque. In addition, the knee extensor endurance ratio increased
by 9.6% to 18.8% in the men and 10.1% to 14.6% in the women. Conclusion: TCC training may enhance muscular strength and endurance of knee extensors in elderly
individuals. © 2000 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy
of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
July 31,
1999
Received in revised form:
July 31,
1999
Received:
January 5,
1999
Footnotes
☆Supported by a grant from the National Science Council of the Republic of China (NSC-84-0412-B002-087).
☆☆No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.
★Reprint requests to Ching Lan, MD, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, 7 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, Taiwan 10016.
★★Supplier
♢a. Cybex, Division of Lumex, Inc., 2100 Smithtown Avenue, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779.
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© 2000 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
