Author: Fong SS1, Chung LM2, Tsang WW3, Leung JC4, Charm CY4, Luk WS5, Chow LP2, Ng SS3.
Affiliation: 1Institute of Human Performance, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. 2Department of Health and Physical Education, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong. 3Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. 4Division of Nursing and Health Studies, Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. 5The Association of Licentiates of the Medical Council of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Conference/Journal: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.
Date published: 2014
Other:
Volume ID: 2014 , Pages: 719437 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1155/2014/719437 , Word Count: 211
This cross-sectional exploratory study aimed to compare the one-leg-stance time and the six-minute walk distance among TC Qigong-trained NPC survivors, untrained NPC survivors, and healthy individuals. Twenty-five survivors of NPC with TC Qigong experience, 27 survivors of NPC without TC Qigong experience, and 68 healthy individuals formed the NPC-TC Qigong group, NPC-control group, and healthy-control group, respectively. The one-leg-stance (OLS) timed test was conducted to assess the single-leg standing balance performance of the participants in four conditions: (1) standing on a stable surface with eyes open, (2) standing on a compliant surface with eyes open, (3) standing on a stable surface with eyes closed, and (4) standing on a compliant surface with eyes closed. The six-minute walk test (6MWT) was used to determine the functional balance performance of the participants. Results showed that the NPC-control group had a shorter OLS time in all of the visual and supporting surface conditions than the healthy control group (P < 0.05). The OLS time of the TC Qigong-NPC group was comparable to that of the healthy control group in the somatosensory-challenging condition (condition 3) (P = 0.168) only. Additionally, there was no significant difference in the 6MWT distance among the three groups (P > 0.05). TC Qigong may be a rehabilitation exercise that improves somatosensory function and OLS balance performance among survivors of NPC.
PMID: 25295068