title: Musculoskeletal strength, balance performance, and self-efficacy in elderly ving tsun chinese martial art practitioners: implications for fall prevention.
abstract: Objectives. To (1) compare the bone strength, lower limb muscular strength, functional balance performance, and balance self-efficacy between Ving Tsun (VT) martial art practitioners and nonpractitioners and (2) identify the associations between lower limb muscular strength, functional balance performance, and balance self-efficacy among the VT-trained participants. Methods. Thirty-five VT practitioners (mean age ± SD = 62.7 ± 13.3 years) and 49 nonpractitioners (mean age ± SD = 65.9 ± 10.5 years) participated in the study. The bone strength of the distal radius, lower limb muscular strength, functional balance performance, and balance self-efficacy were assessed using an ultrasound bone sonometer, the five times sit-to-stand test (FTSTS), the Berg balance scale (BBS), and the Chinese version of the activities-specific balance confidence scale, respectively. A multivariate analysis of covariance was performed to compare all the outcome variables between the two groups. Results. Elderly VT practitioners had higher radial bone strength on the dominant side (P < 0.05), greater lower limb muscular strength (P = 0.001), better functional balance performance (P = 0.003), and greater balance confidence (P < 0.001) than the nonpractitioners. Additionally, only the FTSTS time revealed a significant association with the BBS score (r = -0.575,  P = 0.013). Conclusions. VT may be a suitable health-maintenance exercise for the elderly. Our findings may inspire the development of VT fall-prevention exercises for the community-dwelling healthy elderly.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Performance, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Shirley S M
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Shamay S M
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen P Y
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Marco Y C
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Performance, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Physical Education, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Tai Po, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Joanne W Y
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy Department, David Trench Rehabilitation Centre, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Priscillia L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo