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Purpose: Our previous studies showed that experienced Tai Chi practitioners had better joint proprioception and balance control during weight shifting. The objective of the present study was to examine whether experienced golfers had attained similar improvement when compared with the Tai Chi practitioners, as well as healthy elderly subjects and young university students., Methods: We compared 12 experienced elderly Tai Chi practitioners, with 11 experienced elderly golfers, 12 healthy elderly subjects, and 12 young university students, who were all males, using: 1) passive knee joint repositioning test to assess their joint proprioceptive acuity and 2) limits of stability test to assess their ability to voluntarily weight shift within their base of support., Results: Both Tai Chi practitioners and golfers had better knee joint proprioceptive acuity than did the elderly control subjects (P < 0.05). Of special interest is that their performance was similar to that of the young subjects. In the limits of stability test, Tai Chi practitioners and golfers had faster reaction time, leaned further without losing stability, and showed better control of leaning trajectory than did elderly control subjects (all P < 0.05). The latter two outcome measures were also comparable to those of the young subjects., Conclusion: These results demonstrate that both experienced Tai Chi practitioners and golfers had improved knee joint proprioception and limits of stability, when compared with those of elderly control subjects similar in age, gender (male), and physical activity level. Such improved outcome measures were comparable to those of young male subjects. These findings suggest that experienced Tai Chi practitioners and golfers had improved joint proprioceptive acuity and dynamic standing balance control, despite the known aging effects in these specific sensorimotor functions.

The present study aims to explore the need for cognitive rehabilitation services (CRS) in the community for persons with brain injuries and to understand the level of knowledge and attitudes towards cognitive rehabilitation of health care professionals in the city of Guangzhou in southern China, including their use of innovative CRS. One hundred and fifty-five medical and allied health professionals responded to a self-administered questionnaire. Of this number, 128 completed questionnaires were returned; a response rate of 82.58%. Of the respondents, 95.4% agreed with the need to develop CRS in China. They identified four areas as those for which CRS is most urgently needed: language, memory, orientation and attention rehabilitation. The relative appropriateness of settings for such CRS delivery was ranked, from most to least, as the home, hospital and community, respectively. In prioritising the modes of CRS, it was suggested that the order of preference would be face-to-face, computer-assisted and online/web-based. Home-based intervention was also ranked top among the service treatment settings. The respondents also showed a preference for the innovative online mode, which they felt should be conducted in a home rather than a hospital setting.

Objective: To determine the extent of motor dysfunction in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA), as compared with similarly aged subjects without knee OA, in a Chinese population., Methods: Seventy-six subjects participated in this study. Isometric peak torque of the knee muscles, range of knee motion at rest and during walking, gait velocity, cadence, and stride length were compared., Results: The isometric peak torque of both the quadriceps and the hamstrings of the affected leg of patients with knee OA were weaker than those of the controls (most P < 0.05). The gait velocity was 23.4% slower (P = 0.001), the cadence 33.3% less (P < 0.001), and the stride length 13.4% shorter (P = 0.010) in the patients with OA. The range of knee motion in the patients was reduced by 11.2% at rest (P = 0.003) and by 14.7% during walking (P = 0.001)., Conclusion: Patients with knee OA exhibited statistically significant deficiencies in the physical performance tested, as compared with similarly aged subjects without knee OA (by 9.6% to 33.3%), in a Chinese population. The indication that this study group seems less severely limited than those reported in Western literature warrants further investigation.