Multijoint Coordination of Lower Extremity in Tai Chi Exercise

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the movement coordination among the hip, knee, and ankle joints during solo performance of the Tai Chi (TC) basic movements in order to understand its dynamic postural control. Nine male community-dwelling adults with experienced TC pushing hands participated in this cross-sectional study. The Eagle®motion analysis system with eight cameras was used to collect the trajectories of all reflective markers at sampling rate 100 Hz while the subject performed the ward-off, rollback, press, and push movements. Motion among the hip, knee, and ankle joints was highly coupled. Coupled joint motion, hip flexion-knee flexion-ankle dorsiflexion or reverse, existed in ward-off, rollback, and press phases for the front leg. However, in the push phase, the hip joint angle was kept almost constant with coupled knee and ankle motions. For the rear leg, coupled motion existed between the hip and the knee joints only. The ankle joint motion differed between the front and the rear legs during the basic movements of TC (p < 0.05). Basic characteristics were documented such as the forward knee never extending further than forward toe and both legs maintaining flexion during the full exercise cycle with hip and knee of front and rear legs having synchronized movements in opposite directions. The forward and backward shifts of TC basic movements have considerable contributions to the posture control in terms of the fine coordination of three lower extremity joints. This information could improve training protocol design for TC Chuan teaching and help beginners make an efficient and less damaging movement.

Effects of Tai-Chi Chuan Practice on Patterns and Stability of Lower Limb Inter-Joint Coordination During Obstructed Gait in the Elderly

“…For the trailing limb, TCC training mainly altered the knee-ankle coordination patterns and magnitudes throughout the crossing cycle, being closer to more in-phase coordination during SLS and Swing, but more out-of-phase coordination during DLS (Figure 4). These observed patterns and magnitudes of the inter-joint coordination of the lower limbs during obstacle-crossing, especially during DLS, appeared to correspond to the TCC basic movements, which enforce integrated flexion and extension, and exaggerate joint range of motion with a gentle challenge to balance (Wang et al, 2010). When moving forward during DLS, the leading knee flexes and the leading ankle dorsiflexes while the trailing knee extends and the trailing ankle dorsiflexes (Wang et al, 2010).…”

“…These observed patterns and magnitudes of the inter-joint coordination of the lower limbs during obstacle-crossing, especially during DLS, appeared to correspond to the TCC basic movements, which enforce integrated flexion and extension, and exaggerate joint range of motion with a gentle challenge to balance (Wang et al, 2010). When moving forward during DLS, the leading knee flexes and the leading ankle dorsiflexes while the trailing knee extends and the trailing ankle dorsiflexes (Wang et al, 2010). Another interesting finding is that both groups showed similar CRP values when the leading and trailing toes were above the obstacle (Table 2).…”

“…Longterm TCC practice appeared to be helpful for attenuating the agerelated decline in general physical function, and thus a suitable exercise for the elderly to modify their gait and movement patterns (Wolf et al, 1997;Lin et al, 2006;Mak et al, 2017). Older people with long-term TCC experience have been shown to have increased muscle strength (Jacobson et al, 1997;Lan et al, 2000;Wu et al, 2002b), balance (Wu, 2002;Wu et al, 2002b;Mak and Ng, 2003;, inter-joint coordination (Wang et al, 2010) and sensory organization in postural control (Wong et al, 2001;. These changes are all important components for preventing falls in the elderly (Tse and Bailey, 1992;Wolfson et al, 1996;Wolf et al, 1997;Hass et al, 2004), providing some explanation for the observed reduction in falls in older people with TCC training (Hass et al, 2004;Choi et al, 2005;Mak et al, 2017).…”

A Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy of Tai Chi in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease between 2008 and 2014

“…In Pei et al's study, Tai Chi practitioners showed better eye-hand coordination and movement control [ 31 ]. Indeed, during Tai Chi exercise, substantial postural control, mental concentration, and diaphragmatic breathing are emphasized [ 32 , 33 ]. So Tai Chi usually is considered as a coordination exercise resulting in better postural and balance control.…”

"Direction-Oriented Motion and Balanced Short-Stance Tai Chi" Model: Biomechanical Characteristics and Practicability

“…14,15 and joint motion. [16][17][18][19] The ground reaction force and shift of center of pressure (COP) reflect neuromuscular control and joint loading in Tai Chi. 15,[20][21][22][23] Electromyography (EMG) can also be used to study muscle activation and reflect neuromuscular control during Tai Chi.…”