| 英文摘要 |
Introduction: Taiwan is becoming an aging society. As the middle-aged elderly grow old, they become less capable of performing daily activities, which causes an increase in the risk of tripping. Many studies indicated that Tai Chi exercise can improve lower-extremity muscle strength. Standing vertical jump is a common and effective way of measuring lower-extremity muscle strength. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate biomechanical effects of Tai-Chi exercise on the lower-extremity in middle-aged elders during countermovement jump. Methods: Twelve middle-aged elders with regular Tai Chi exercise experience ( 5 males and 7 females, age: 60.67 ± 2.71 years old, height: 162.25 ± 8.16 cm, Weight: 64.79 ± 11.09 kg ) and twelve healthy middle-aged elders ( 5 males and 7 females, age: 62.33 ± 1.61 years old, height: 157.67 ± 8.55 cm, weight: 60.75 ± 8.08 kg ) participated in this study. Ten Vicon Motion System cameras ( 250Hz ), two Kistler force plates ( 1000Hz ) and Vicon Nexus software were used simultaneously to capture the kinematic and dynamic parameters of standing vertical jumps. Visual 3D software was used for calculations. Independent samples t-test was performed for statistical analysis ( α = .05 ). Results: Study analysis showed that jump height in the Tai Chi group was significantly higher than control group. The maximum velocity, peak hip moment, and peak hip power during the take-off phase, as well as the maximum velocity at take-off in Tai Chi group were also greater than the control group. Conclusion: Since the jump height of Tai Chi group was significantly higher ( p < .05 ), it was inferred that the lower-extremity muscle strength of the Tai Chi group was stronger than the control group. This might be due to the maximum moment and power of the hip joint in the Tai Chi group were better than the control group. It showed that practicing Tai Chi exercise could effectively slow down the degeneration of the moment and power at the hip joint. Therefore, middle-aged elders were recommended to engage in long-term Tai Chi exercise. |
