Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026
Effects of Mindfulness Training Combined with Tai Chi in Patients with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Published on: July 14, 2023
Stability limits, single-leg jump, and body awareness in older Tai Chi practitioners
Amanda L Gyllensten1, Christina W Y Hui-Chan, William W N Tsang
1Section of Physiotherapy, Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
University-based rehabilitation center.
Participants:
Tai Chi practitioners (n=24; age+/-SD, 68.5+/-6.6 y) and control subjects (n=20; age, 71.3+/-6.7 y) were recruited.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Measures included the following: (1) subjects' intentional weight shifting to 8 different spatial positions within their base of support using the limits of stability test, (2) the ability to leave the floor in single-leg jumping and to maintain balance on landing using force platform measurements, and (3) body awareness and movement behaviors using the Body Awareness Scale-Health (BAS-H).
Results:
The findings showed that Tai Chi practitioners had a significantly better ability to lean further without losing stability and better directional control (P<0.01). They had a better ability to jump off the floor (P<0.05) and to maintain a longer single-leg stance after landing (P<.05) and better overall body awareness (P<.001). The single-leg jumps also correlated significantly with limits of stability measures of movement velocity, endpoint excursions, and maximum excursions but not with directional control. The BAS-H scores correlated significantly with the limits of stability measures except directional control. They also correlated significantly with the ability to jump off the floor and maintain stability after landing.
Conclusions:
When compared with healthy controls, Tai Chi practitioners had better stability limits, increased ability to perform a single-leg jump, and more stability in landing on 1 leg as well as better body awareness. Significant correlations among limits of stability measures, single-leg jumping tests, and the BAS-H scores indicate the importance of body awareness in limits of stability, single-leg jumping, and landing.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Stability of structures
01:21Rigid Body Equilibrium Problems - II
Consider two children sitting on a seesaw, which has negligible mass. The first child has a mass (m1) of 26 kg and sits at point A, which is 1.6 meters (r1) from the pivot point B; the second child has a mass (m2) of 32 kg and sits at point C. How far from the pivot point B should the second child sit (r2) to balance the seesaw?
01:28Stability
The stability of an LTI system is determined by the roots of its characteristic equation, known as poles. A system is stable if it produces a bounded...
00:49Rigid Body Equilibrium Problems - I
01:24Pole and System Stability
Simple poles are unique roots of the denominator polynomial. Each simple pole corresponds to a distinct solution to the system's characteristic equation, typically resulting in exponential decay terms in the system's response.
01:29Relaxation of Skeletal Muscles
When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it depolarizes the membrane and opens voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium ions enter the cell, further depolarizing the presynaptic membrane. This depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open.