| dc.description.abstract | Tai Chi has often been applied in research among older adults to affect postural stability and
proprioception in the lower limbs; however, little is known about the effects Tai Chi may have in
these domains among healthy young adults. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to
investigate these potential effects. A total of 30 (17 females and 13 males) healthy young adults
were randomized to either an experimental group or control group. To assess postural stability,
both groups performed a pre-intervention postural stability task under eyes open/closed and
firm/foam surface conditions, while center of pressure-based measures of mean sway velocity
(MSV) and 95% elliptical area (EA) were collected. Ankle proprioception was inferred using
electromyography data from the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius medialis bilaterally, in
addition to, the spectral power within the 0.4 – 0.7 Hz band derived from all data points of COP
sway in the anteroposterior direction, which is believed to be sensitive to change in ankle
proprioception. For the intervention, the experimental group was engaged in a 15-minute Tai Chi
task, while the control group sat comfortably in a chair. Post-intervention measures were then
collected using the same protocol as the pre-intervention measures. Four-way ANOVAs were
used to determine if the Tai Chi intervention had a significant effect on postural stability, muscle
activity, or measures of inferred ankle proprioception. No significant differences were observed
between the experimental or control group across pre-/post test measures. These findings suggest
that a single 15-minute Tai Chi intervention is not sufficient to produce effects on the postural
stability, muscle activity, or ankle proprioception of healthy young adults. | en_US |
