Five Weeks of Yuishinkai Karate Training Improves Balance and Neuromuscular Function in Older Adults
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Abstract Background: To test the efficacy of a documented 5-week karate training intervention for rehabilitation and neuroprotection in older adults. Methods: Sixteen older adults (8 male, 8 female, age 59-90y), with or without chronic conditions, participated a 5-week karate training intervention. Dynamic balance, hand grip, ankle plantarflexion force, Timed Up and Go (TUG), and spinal cord excitability (via the soleus H-reflex) were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Results: Participants completed 2437 steps, 1762 turns, 3585 stance changes, 2047 punches, 2757 blocks, and 1253 strikes. Karate training improved dynamic postural performance. The group average time for dynamic postural reaction was reduced (time to target (-13.6%, p = 0.020) and time to center (-8.3%, p =0.010)). TUG was unchanged when considering the entire group (p=0.779), but reductions were found in 5 neurologically intact older adults (-4.5 to -8.6%; p<0.05) and increased for 1 Parkinson’s Disease participant (3.8%, p<0.05). Strength increased in left arm (7.9%, p=0.037), right leg (28.8%, p=0.045), and left leg (13.3%, p=0.024) for the group. Spinal cord excitability remained unchanged across the group but 3 neurologically intact older adults (215.4%, 47.9%, -35.9%; p<0.05) and 2 Parkinson’s Disease participants (152.4%, 195.3%; p<0.05) had modulated H-reflex amplitudes. Conclusion: 5-weeks of karate training delivered in a fashion to mimic community-level programs provided an effective therapeutic “dose” to improve balance and strength in older adults. Whole-body training embodied in martial arts enhanced neuromuscular function and postural integration. Further quantitative work should explore threshold dose and development of martial arts interventions as functional fitness for older adults.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.002 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".