Poster Presentation
Monday, November 5, 2007
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Monday, November 5, 2007
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
The Effect of 12-Week Tai Chi Chuan on Peripheral Nerve Modulation for Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus
Shu-Hui Yeh, PhD, Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Institute of Technology, Kaohsiung County, Taiwan, Jen Wen Hung, MD, Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Chia-Wei Liou, MD, Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Pei-Wen Wang, MD, Metabolism, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Li-Wei Lin, Nursing, Health and Behavioural Science, Deakin University, Burwood Victoria, Australia, and Fu-Mian Tsai, RN, MS, Nursing, Chung Hwa Institute of Technology, Tainan, Taiwan.
| Learning Objective #1: examine the effect of Tai Chi Chuan exercise (TCC) on the peripheral nerve modulation in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients |
| Learning Objective #2: to utilize the parallel group comparative study with a pre- and post- design in intervention research. |
Abstract
Objective: To examine the effect of Tai Chi Chuan exercise (TCC) on the peripheral nerve modulation in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients.
Design: Parallel group comparative study with a pre- and post- design.
Setting: Community.
Participants: 28 participants with DM, 32 healthy adult controls.
Intervention: 12-weeks Cheng’s TCC (37 movements). Tri-weekly, 10 minutes warm-up, 40 minutes TCC, 10 minutes cool-down.
Main Outcome Measures: Fasting blood glucose (FBS) levels, insulin resistance index (IRI) and electrophysiological nerve conduction velocity (NCV) tests were measured pre-intervention and 12 weeks post.
Results: A 12-week TCC significantly improved FBS and IRI. The TCC also improved the NCV of medina and ulnar in DM patients, but no significant enhancement detected in normal healthy controls. TCC program also improved distal latency of sensory NCV of ulnar nerves (P = 0.044). The TCC had no significantly effect on voltage proximal or voltage distal of nerve modulation.
Conclusions: 12-weeks TCC significantly improved IRI and FBS, associated with improvement of motor NCV of upper extremities as well as distal latency of sensory ulnar NCV in DM patients. This suggests that defective peripheral NCV in diabetic subjects with mild/moderate peripheral neuropathy can be improved by TCC. A larger study with longer follow-up time is needed before more conclusive remarks can be made to prevent or to halt diabetic neuropathy by TCC.