ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Biomechanics and Control of Human Movement
This article is part of the Research TopicBiomechanics, technology, and athletic performance: pathways to sustainable healthView all 3 articles
The Impact of Tai Chi's "Xuling Dingjin" Posture on Lumbar Biomechanics During Stair Descent
Provisionally accepted
Yiting Duan1
Haibin Liu1*
Jian Jiang2*
Liqing Liu1
Fan Gao3Suheng Li1
Yulong Yang1Shuye Yang1Shudong Yan1- 1School of Sports and Health Sciences, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
- 2Spine Surgery, Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
- 3Physical Education and Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
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Background: Low back pain is common increases stair-related fall. The Tai Chi "Xuling Dingjin" posture may enhance spinal stability, its biomechanical mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigates the effects of this posture on lumbar biomechanics during stair descent, and provides theoretical support for its application in balance improvement and rehabilitation. Research question: To investigate the biomechanical effects of Tai Chi's "Xuling Dingjin" posture on the lumbar spine and whether it enhances the stability of the lumbar spine in the staircase environment. Methods: Twelve adults (6 males and 6 females) with a minimum of 5 years of Tai Chi experience participated in the study. Lumbar biomechanics were assessed during normal stair descent (D) and stair descent incorporating the "Xuling Dingjin" posture (XD) using a Vicon motion capture system, an AMTI force platform, OpenSim biomechanical analysis software, and finite element analysis. Results: Under the XD condition, deep stabilizing muscles (especially quadratus lumborum) exhibited earlier and more intense activation. Additionally, there was a smaller offset between the center of mass (COM) and center of pressure (COP), indicating improved posture stability. Lumbar rotation around the Z-axis was significantly decreased, and finite element analysis demonstrated a more uniform pressure distribution across the intervertebral discs. This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article Conclusion: Maintaining the "Xuling Dingjin" posture can activate deep stabilizers earlier and more effectively, redistributing lumbar pressure through postural adjustment, thereby enhancing spinal stability and offering potential value in reducing fall risk.
Keywords: Tai Chi, Lumbar biomechanics, Stair descent, Finite element method, opensim
Received: 29 May 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Duan, Liu, Jiang, Liu, Gao, Li, Yang, Yang and Yan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Haibin Liu, liuhaibin@dlut.edu.cn
Jian Jiang, rejustin@sina.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.