Sun, Oct 28, 2007 page2

• FEATURE: Experts warn seniors against risky exercises

  • By Angelica Oung / STAFF REPORTER
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  The first light of day usually brings a flurry of activity in parks and public spaces across the country. Many senior citizens can be seen exercising, with some doing light, brisk walking, dancing, playing badminton or practicing a host of traditional exercises. But a more curious activity involving slamming one's body hard against a tree or wall has become increasingly popular among the elderly.

  The exercise, known as "wall-butting" (撞牆功), has picked up because some seniors seem to think "if it's good enough for Wang Yung-ching (王永慶 )" -- chairman of the Formosa Plastics Group and the richest man in the country -- "then it must be good enough for me," said Chien Wen-jen (簡文仁), director of the National Federation of Associations of Physical Therapists.

  Wall-butting involves falling backward and hitting a hard, upright object. Practitioners believe that the move, which is adapted from a tai chi exercise, helps them get rid of aches and pain.

  However, Chien said that wall-butting and other folk exercises could hurt rather than help the elderly.

  "Some like to fall back onto the trees really hard," he said. "It can actually exacerbate their back condition."

  Chien told the Taipei Times that he had tried several times to dissuade the elderly whenever he saw them doing exercises he considered risky or counterproductive. However, his advice was often politely ignored.

  "They might have heard from their peers that so-and-so's backache disappeared after doing some particular move," Chien said. "All I can do is remind them that just because something worked for somebody, it does not mean it's right for everyone."

  Aside from wall-butting, popular folk exercises include lying and arching their backs over large tires partially buried in the ground and then hoisting themselves up using their arms and doing a pirouette on tiptoe, or flinging their arms back and forth vigorously as they walk, an exercise literally known as "arm flinging" (甩手).

  Many parks around the country also feature pebble walkways designed to massage the soles of the feet by walking over them barefoot.

  Like many exercises popular with the elderly, the pebble walkway exercise is based on folk medicine principles, ie, reflexology. Practitioners of reflexology believe that massaging pressure points on the sole of the foot corresponding to different parts of the body can improve general health.

  "If you must, choose pebble walkways with larger, round pebbles," Chien said.

  "Smaller pebbles can provide too much pressure and possibly cause plantar fascitis, or an irritation of the elastic tissue at the bottom of the foot," he said.

  Chien's fears for the health of seniors who practice overly taxing or even dangerous folk exercises were borne out by a recent news report.

  A 65-year-old woman from Kaohsiung became wheelchair bound after practicing arching her back over half-buried standing tires in an effort to get rid of her spinal bone spurs for almost two years.

  Ho Chih-chun (何治軍), a neurosurgeon at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital who treated the woman, was quoted by the Chinese-language United Daily News as saying that the woman's spinal column had become unstable after repeatedly overextending her back, causing the ligaments between her spinal discs to become fatigued.

  The woman regained the use of her legs after spinal surgery.

  Ho cited two other cases where folk exercise resulted in injury. Both cases involved men who twisted their necks doing rapid head flings.

  Taipei is trying to phase out equipment of questionable health value, such as pebble pathways and half-buried tires, said Teddy Kao (高道涵), spokesman for the city's Parks and Street Lights Office.

  "Most equipment like that are leftovers from an earlier period," Kao said. "For instance, most of the pebble pathways were installed eight or nine years ago when reflexology was all the rage."

  "As for the tires ... they're cheap. So many parks just dug holes and plopped them in as cheap equipment," he said.

  Kao said that the office could not simply remove such equipment because residents had gotten used to them and many would be upset if they were removed.

  However, signs have been put up in many parks, warning people of their potential danger, Kao said.

  "When they finally break, they will not be replaced," Kao said.

  Kao said he hoped that increased media coverage could persuade more seniors to give up dangerous or risky exercises.

  "It's alarming," said Kao, describing his experience seeing and hearing senior citizens slam backward into trees. "They hit the tree hard and let out a roar."

  "They do not listen to our recommendations because they have their own ideas," he said.
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