Background: Effects of Tai Chi on people with peripheral neuropathy (PN) are not yet apparent. This systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi on postural control in people with PN. Methods: Literature was screened in seven databases for relevant randomized controlled trials. The reports and methodological quality were evaluated. A meta-analysis was performed using RevMan5.4 software. Results: Ten reports were included, involving a total of 344 subjects. The meta-analysis found that Tai Chi therapy for people with PN resulted in a smaller sway area, in the double-leg stance with eyes closed test (SMD = −2.43, I² = 0%), than that observed in the control group, greater distance covered in the six-minute walking test (SMD = −0.46, I² = 49%) and faster performance in the timed-up-and-go test (SMD = 0.68, I² = 50%), than the baseline. Conclusions: Tai chi effectively enhanced dynamic postural control in people with PN. However, no better effects on postural control from Tai Chi than from other rehabilitation approaches were observed in this study. Further high-quality trials are needed to better understand Tai Chi’s effects on individuals with PN.

Balance is a fundamental quality for trampoline athletes, the basis for completing complex skills. We aimed to compare balance control strategies between elite trampolinists (ETs) and sub-elite trampolinists (Sub-ET) by integrating linear and nonlinear center of pressure (COP) measures across stable and unstable surfaces. Twenty-four male athletes (12 ET, 12 Sub-ET) participated. Each participant performed 15-s static standing trials with eyes closed on a firm surface (FI) and a foam surface (FO). COP parameters were extracted, including ellipse area, sway velocity, sway range, and sample entropy (SampEn) in the medio-lateral (ML) and antero-posterior (AP) directions. Repeated-measures ANOVA was applied to examine the effects of group and surface condition. Linear analyses indicated that ET athletes exhibited greater sway amplitudes and faster velocities than Sub-ET athletes, with both groups showing larger sway on FO compared with FI. Nonlinear analyses revealed that ET athletes demonstrated lower SampEn, suggesting more structured and automatized control strategies. ET athletes maintained consistent entropy across both conditions, reflecting stronger adaptability to unstable surfaces. These results emphasize the importance of combining linear and nonlinear measures in balance assessment and suggest that incorporating unstable or trampoline-like surfaces into training may enhance adaptability, improve performance, and reduce injury risk.

Purpose: To study the differences in lower limb muscle explosive and maximal strength among trampoline athletes at different levels of competition. Methods: A total of fifteen trampoline athletes, comprising seven elite and eight non-elite athletes, participated in this project. Lower limb explosive strength was assessed using the countermovement jump (CMJ) test. Maximal strength was evaluated by the MicroFet portable system. The maximal strength of the hip, knee, and ankle were measured and standardized by weight. Independent t-tests were employed to examine the differences between the two groups. Cohen's d was used to evaluate the related effect size. Small, medium, and large effect sizes are represented by 0.20 ≤ d < 0.50, 0.50 ≤ d < 0.80, and d ≥ 0.80, respectively. Results: Significant differences were observed in the CMJ performance between the two groups. The take-off velocity of elite athletes (2.91±0.17m/s) was higher than that of non-elite athletes (2.63±0.24 m/s, p=0.023, d=1.328). Additionally, the jump height increased from elite athletes (0.42±0.05m) to non-elite athletes (0.32±0.06m, p=0.009, d=1.591). Furthermore, elite athletes demonstrated higher average power output (32.79±3.49W/kg) compared to non-elite athletes (27.10±3.51W/kg, p=0.008, d=1.627). The reactive strength index in the non-elite athletes (0.75±0.12m/s) was lower than in the elite athletes (0.96±0.15m/s, p=0.011, d=1.530). However, no significant differences were observed in relative muscle strength of the lower limb (hip, knee, and ankle) between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: For trampoline athletes, the explosive strength of the lower limbs appears to have a more pronounced effect on performance than maximal strength. Therefore, developing the explosive strength of the lower limbs may be crucial for enhancing the performance of trampoline athletes.

To compare lower limb joint angle variability between functional ankle instability (FAI) and healthy controls (CONs) at different running speeds using linear and nonlinear methods. Fifteen males with right-side FAI and fifteen matched CONs ran on a treadmill at self-selected, 20% faster, and 20% slower speeds. From 25 gait cycles, the mean coefficient of variation (CV), Sample Entropy (SampEn), and largest Lyapunov Exponent (LyE) of hip, knee, and ankle angles were computed. A two-way (two groups × three speeds) mixed-design ANOVA was applied (α = 0.05). No significant interaction effects were observed. No significant differences were observed in the CV. SampEn showed group effects: FAI had lower values in hip horizontal, knee sagittal/coronal, and ankle coronal planes, but higher in the hip sagittal plane. Speed effects showed greater SampEn in the ankle sagittal and lower in the hip coronal plane at slow speed. LyE was reduced in FAI for hip, knee, and ankle sagittal planes. Speed effects indicated higher LyE in the knee sagittal and lower in the hip coronal plane at slow speed. FAI showed reduced variability, particularly in the sagittal plane, reflecting rigid control. Slower speeds increased ankle and knee sagittal variability but decreased hip coronal variability.

The effects of foot abduction angle and stance width on muscle activation remain inconsistent in current research. We aim to investigate this issue from the perspective of muscle synergies, thereby providing evidence-based squatting guidelines for sports training and rehabilitation. Nineteen males performed squats under six conditions: three widths (wide, medium, narrow) × two foot abduction angles (0°, 30°). Surface electromyography was recorded from seven lower limb muscles. We employed principal component (PC) analysis to investigate the muscle synergies of seven lower-limb muscles. Repeated-measures two-way ANOVA was performed to statistically analyze both muscle peak activation and PC scores, with significance set at p < .05. In the descending PC3, which is primarily composed of the peroneus longus and vastus lateralis, 0° abduction scores were higher than 30° (p = .003); narrow stance scores were higher than wide stance (p = .017). In the ascending PC2 is composed of vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and soleus, the score at 0° abduction was higher than that at 30° abduction (p = .046). The other PCs were statistically non-significant (p > .05). Increasing foot abduction angle and stance width appear to shift neuromuscular control from a strategy dominated by stabilizer muscles toward one dominated by the prime movers, indicating that in healthy adult men, simple adjustments to these stance parameters can predictably redistribute muscular load between stabilizer muscles and prime movers.