Effects of three kinds of qigong exercises on grip strength

Introduction

Grip strength is a good index of health. It has been reported that a three - month performance of a kind of Qigong exercise improved grip strength remarkably as well. Physical conditions, and a decreased grip strength after a long - distance drive recovered by a simple treatment of self-shiatsu therapy. In our preceding study we found that various kinds of ten - minute yoga exercises increased grip strength by 2. 8 - 4. l kgf.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of three kinds of short - time Qigong exercises on grip strength.

Methods

The subject was a male (age 53, body mass 54 kg, height 173 cm) with more than ten years of intermittent Qigong experience. The following three kinds of Qigong exercises in which the subject was well experienced were chosen:
1. Suwaishou (hereafter SWS): Both arms were swung in parallel in forward and backward directions .
2. Tantoukou (hereafter TIX): San - enshiki (three - circle type)
3. Hachidankin (hereafter HDK): The fifth and seventh exercises were omitted. It takes about fifteen minutes to perform each of these exercises.

Each exercise was performed 12 times, and a combination of them was performed 5 times in the order listed above. Grip strength was measured just before and after the exercises.

Results

1. Increases of grip strength by SWS and HDK performed separately were comparatively small in the first four trials, and showed greater and stable values in the rest of the trials. 'The change of grip strength by TTK performed separately was negative in the first four trials, and turned to positive in the fifth trial to remain positive and stable in the rest of the trials.
The following results are based on the data from the last 8 trials with those from the first 4 trials omitted .
2. Grip strength was significantly by 4. 1 kgf, 2.7 kgf and 2.7 kgf ,respectively, after SWS, TTK and HDK performed separately.
3. Grip strength was significantly greater by 2.4 kgf after SWS, TTK and HDK performed in combination in this order is referred to as ALL. In comparison to the of the exercises performed separately, this result implies that the effects of consecutive exercises were not additive.
4. The increase by SWS was greater than those by TTK, HDK and ALL.

The increases of grip strength by these Qigong exercises were approximately the same as those by yoga exercises with the same subject. Results in (3) were also in agreement with that about the yoga exercises.