坐式太极运动增强虚弱老人手眼协调能力的效果

关键词：坐式太极  眼手协调  虚弱老人

Keywords:sitting Tai Chi  eye-hand coordination  frail older adults

摘要：

      目的： 探讨坐式太极运动能否增强虚弱老人的手眼协调能力。方法：采用随机单盲临床对照实验。将101名从未进行过任何太极运动的虚弱老人随机分成太极运动组和一般运动对照组，其中太极组40名，平均年龄（83.1±8.5）岁；对照组61名，平均年龄（84.7±7.5）岁。训练 3个月：3次/周，1h/次，共36次。手眼协调的测试方法为：要求被测者在坐位下，用优势手食指从固定起始位快速而准确地触碰显示屏上的球形视觉信号。测试结果包括：反应时间、完成动作时间、准确性。结果：太极组基本保持了训练前的反应时间，而对照组则反应时间变慢，改变的比例分别为3.3%±37.3%, 35.8%±107.2%, P<0.05；太极组的准确性提高，而对照组则无-5.8%±-36.6%，21.1%±70.8%，P<0.05；两组完成动作时间相似2.0%±49.6%；-1.2%±-55.1%，P＞0.05。结论：对虚弱老人进行为期3个月的坐式太极运动，可以维持手指触碰任务的反应时间，增强完成任务的准确性。

Abstract:

      Objective: To examine the effect of Tai Chi in sitting position on eye-hand coordination in frail older adults. Method: A randomized, single-blinded clinical trial was conducted. The participants were randomly assigned to either Tai Chi group or general mobilizing exercises control group by drawing lots. All participants had no previous experience in Tai Chi training. Forty older adults in Tai Chi group underwent 3 months training program condacted by physiotherapists with a total of 36 sessions (1h/session, 3 sessions/week). Equivalent sessions for stretching and general limbs mobilizing exercises were conducted by physiotherapists in 61 control subjects. All subjects of both groups were instructed to perform index finger-pointing task rapidly with their dominant hand, from a fixed starting position on a desk to a visual signal (shaped as a ball) appearing on a display unit, as fast and accurately as possible to test eye-hand coordination. Outcome measures included reaction time, movement time and, accuracy. Result: The Tai Chi practitioners maintained the some performance in reaction time as pre-training, while the control subjects deteriorated after 3-month intervention (percentage of changes: 3.3%±37.3%, 35.8%±107.2%, respectively(P<0.05). The subjects in Tai Chi group achieved less errors in accuracy, while the control subjects′ errors increased(-5.8%±-36.6%; 21.1%±70.8%, respectively; P<0.024). Both groups had similar percentage of changes in movement time, being 2.0%±49.6% for Tai Chi group and -1.2%±-55.1% for control group (P=0.787). Conclusion: These results demonstrate that 3-month sitting Tai Chi training can maintain the performance in reaction time and improve accuracy of finger-pointing task in frail older adults.