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| Are the 'hard' martial arts, such as the Korean martial art,
TaeKwon-Do, of benefit to senior citizens? |
| Med Hypotheses 2002 Oct;59(4):485. |
| Falls are a leading cause of death in the elderly. Associated with
aging is a loss of muscular strength, flexibility, and coordination.
Regular exercise is widely believed to be of benefit for the elderly.To
this end, various exercise regimes have been employed to battle the
associated problems of aging. One such has been the Chinese martial art,
Tai Chi Chuan (TC). TC as an exercise system uses slow smooth movements to
train the body in balance, endurance, and strength. For this reason, it is
known as a 'soft' martial art, in that it is very non-impact oriented.
There have been a variety of studies in the West examining the beneficial
effects of TC. However, to date, there have been no studies with senior
citizens using other martial arts, of which, TC is but one. The present
study was designed to examine the appropriateness and effects of a Korean
martial art known as TaeKwon-Do (TKD), a 'hard' martial art, on an elderly
population measuring similar parameters reported for TC. Of those
participants that attended >85% of classes, an increase was observed in
the average number of push-ups, trunk flexion, and balance time on each
foot. TKD proved effective at increasing one-leg balance in the population
examined. Additionally, the overall dropout rate was extremely low
suggesting both that the elderly are capable of participating in a hard
martial art and that they have an interest in it as a viable alternative
to other forms of exercise. The present study suggests that TKD as a form
of exercise for an elderly population is both viable and potentially
popular and warrants further study. |
| [Relationship of normal levels of activity of daily living and daily
habits among elderly women at home] |
| Nippon Koshu Eisei Zasshi 2002
Jul;49(7):648-59. |
| PURPOSE: The relationship of activities of daily living (ADL) with
daily habits and age was investigated with a focus on the results of
measurements of the normal speed (ordinary level: OL) and maximum speed
(maximum capacity: MC) in performing items on a functional fitness test.
The significance of the measurement of the ordinary level was also
discussed. METHODS: The subjects were 69 women, aged 60-90 years old,who
participated in a health workshop for the elderly sponsored by a local
municipality and who performed at least 4 items on a functional fitness
test. Public health nurses asked subjects about habitual life style,
subjective health status and degree of satisfaction in daily life. The ADL
level was measured using the tests of functional fitness developed byOida
et al and partially revised by ourselves and physical fitness tests (grip
strength, sit and reach, and balancing on one leg with opened eyes). OL
was measured as the time needed to perform functional fitness items at
normal speed, and MC as the time needed when performing these tasks as
quickly as possible. RESULTS: All functional fitness items were
accomplished significantly faster with MC than OL. Correlation coefficient
values between OL and MC were high significant. Age was found to be
significantly related to the hand working test (Hand-T) to evaluate
dexterity and the rope working test (Rope-T) to evaluate self-care, except
with the MC. An analysis of covariance with age as the covariant revealed
that, with OL, there were relationships between Hand-T and Rope-T andthe
item "active at home," and between the zigzag walking (Zigzag-T) and
Rope-T and "walking or riding a bicycle to go shopping." With MC, there
were relationships between Hand-T and "active at home," and between
Zigzag-T and "walking of riding a bicycle to go shopping." Regarding
physical capacity, relationships were seen between both hands and "high
level of physical fitness" and "walking fast" and grip strength (Left
hand), respectively. CONCLUSION: The ADL items measured in the preset
study were related to the daily activities of elderly people. As the OL
and MC results demonstrated a high correlation and the ADL items related
with OL were found to have almost the same link with MC, we conclude that
OL is suitable for testing with the advantage of safety. However, we could
not explain differences in relationships between measurements and daily
activities, pointing to a need for further research. Elderly people must
maintain their capacity for ADL to support a good quality of life, and we
have demonstrated the utility of measurements that include normal levels
of activity as
indicators. |
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