Tai Chi Chuan to improve muscular strength and endurance in elderly individuals: A pilot study

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. (C) 2000 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.