AUTHOR=Huang Dunbing , Ke Xiaohua , Jiang Cai , Song Wei , Feng Jing , Zhou Huiting , Zhang Rui , Zhang Anren , Lan Fujun 

TITLE=Effects of 12 weeks of Tai Chi on neuromuscular responses and postural control in elderly patients with sarcopenia: a randomized controlled trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1167957

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2023.1167957

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Objective: To explore the effect of 12 weeks of Tai Chi on neuromuscular responses and postural control in elderly patients with sarcopenia.
Methods: Sixty elderly patients with sarcopenia were randomly assigned to the TC group (n=30) and the control group (n=30). Both groups received 45-minute health education sessions once every 2 weeks for 12 weeks, and the TC group engaged in 40-minute simplified eight-style TC exercise sessions 3 times per week for 12 weeks. Neuromuscular responses were assessed by surface EMG, and postural control was assessed by the ProKin 254 device before and after treatment.
Results: After 12 weeks of treatment, the neuromuscular response times for the rectus femoris, semitendinosus, anterior tibialis, and gastrocnemius and the overall stability index (OSI) values in the TC group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The changes in neuromuscular response times of the rectus femoris, semitendinosus, anterior tibialis, and gastrocnemius were positively correlated with the changes in OSI (P<0.05) in the TC group, but there were no significant correlations between changes in neuromuscular response times of the aforementioned muscles and changes in OSI in the control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: For patients with sarcopenia, 12 weeks of TC can improve the neuromuscular response ability of the lower extremities, thereby improving postural control to shorten the response time when balance is endangered and ultimately reduce the risk of falls.