The Effects Of Tai Chi On The Age-related Decline In Static Postural Control In Older Adults

PURPOSE: Older adults’ postural control decreases with age, greatly increasing fall risks. This study investigated the effects of a 16-week Tai Chi practice on the center of pressure root mean square in the anterior-posterior direction (COP-RMSap) during standing among older adults. METHODS: Forty-two older adults aged 60 and 90 (72.5 ± 7.9 years, 160.8 ± 7.5 cm, and 64.5 ± 8.3 kg) were recruited. All participants practiced Tai Chi for 16 weeks with four 1-hour weekly sessions. The COP-RMSap represents postural control. Center of pressure data were collected at pre- (week0) and post-intervention (week17), while the participant stood with eyes open and both feet on the force plate for 60 seconds. COP-RMSap was then calculated. The effects of the practice with age were compared using two second-order polynomial regressions. RESULTS: The second-order polynomial regression models for CoP-RMSap values pre and post intervention are shown in Figure 1, with age on the horizontal axis and COP-RMSap on the vertical axis. The pre-intervention model's equation was y = 0.0041x2 - 0.5644x + 25.577, with an R2 value of 0.0776. The post-intervention model's equation was y = 0.0007x2 - 0.0613x + 7.6214, with an R2 value of 0.0069. CONCLUSIONS: COP-RMSap increased with age before the intervention, but it regression line for the post intervention peaked at age 75. The trend observed here point to that Tai Chi could significantly improve COP-RMSap in adults aged 75 years and older. Although the difference of the trends are not statistically significant, the differences in the trends suggest that Tai Chi practice could be an effective way to improve postural control in the elderly especially for people 75 or older. Further researches need to confirm this observation. Supported by: This research was funded by the General Administration of Sport of China [grant number 23QN009]; the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number No.12102235]; the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province [grant number ZR2022MH163].