I was doing a search on proprioception trying to find out what worked well or best for maintaining it over time (= getting older 
) and this came up. I've never done this but have been incorporating more balance into my workouts. Anyone practive this and what do you think? Seems to make a lot of sense based on the movements I've seen. Can you learn it on your own or does it require instruction.
Effect of tai chi exercise on proprioception of ankle and knee joints in old people
D Xu1, Y Hong1, J Li1 and K Chan2 1 Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
2 Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Correspondence to:
Professor Hong
Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin NT, Hong Kong; youlianhong@cuhk.edu.hk
Objectives: To assess if tai chi, a traditional Chinese form
of exercise, could improve proprioception in old people and
if the effects of tai chi on proprioception are more evident
than other exercise forms in the elderly.
Methods: By detecting the threshold of passive movement, ankle
and knee joint kinaesthesis was measured in 21 elderly long
term tai chi practitioners (TC group), 20 elderly long term
swimmers/runners (S/R group), and 27 elderly sedentary controls
(control group).
Results: Ankle joint kinaesthesis differed significantly among
the three groups (p = 0.001). Subjects in the TC group could
detect a significantly smaller amount of motion than those in
the S/R group (p = 0.022) and control group (p = 0.001).
No significant difference was found between the S/R group and
the control group (p = 0.701). The threshold for detection
of passive motion was significantly different in knee extension
and flexion. For knee flexion, the TC group showed a significantly
lower mean threshold for detection of passive motion than the
control group (p = 0.026). There were no significant differences
between the S/R group and control group (p = 0.312), or between
the TC group and S/R group (p = 0.533). For knee extension,
no significant difference was noted among the three groups (p
= 0.597).
Conclusions: The elderly people who regularly practiced tai
chi not only showed better proprioception at the ankle and knee
joints than sedentary controls, but also better ankle kinaesthesis
than swimmers/runners. The large benefits of tai chi exercise
on proprioception may result in the maintenance of balance control
in older people.
Keywords: tai chi exercise; proprioception; kinaesthesis; elderly; balance control
Effect of tai chi exercise on proprioception of ankle and knee joints in old people
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