본 연구는 타이치 운동이 유방암 수술 후 환자의 어깨관절 가동범위 및 심박동수에 미치는 영향을 규명하는데 그 목적이 있다. 대상자는 유방암 1~2기 진단을 받고 유방암 수술 후 2개월 이내의 B광역시에 거주하는 환자 40명을 대상으로 타이치 운동을 12주간, 주4회, 1회 60분씩 실시하여 실험 전 후 어깨관절 가동범위 및 심박동수를 측정하였다. 본 연구결과 어깨관절 가동범위의 굴곡, 선전, 내전, 외전 모두 유의하게 증가하였고(p<0.05), 심박동수도 유의하게 감소하였다(p<0.05). 이상의 결과로 타이치 운동은 유방암 수술 후 환자들에게 어깨관절 가동범위를 향상시키고 심장기능을 강화시킴으로써 심혈관질환을 예방할 수 있고 유방암 수술 후 환자들의 건강증진을 도모할 수 있는 권장할 만한 운동으로 사료된다.
Good health-related quality of life is regarded as the goal of elderly residential care. Treatment for breast cancer produces side effects that diminish functional capacity and quality of life among survivors. Tai-Chi exercise offers the benefits of fitness and health. Tai-chi has been claimed to generate beneficial effects with respect to a wide range of diseases. The object of this research is to evaluate the effects of tai chi exercise on shoulder joint movement and cardiovascular function in elderly breast cancer patients. The subjects were 40 patients residing in B metropolitan city, who had undergone surgery for breast cancer within 2 months. They underwent post-operative radiotherapy and an anti-cancer chemical treatment. They practiced tai-chi exercise for 60 min a day, four times a week for 12 weeks under the direction of a special tai-chi instructor. Shoulder joint movement and heart rate, were measured before and after the experiment. The results were as follows; Shoulder joint movement, including flexion, extention, adduction and abduction, significantly increased (p<0.05) after treatment, and heart rates significantly decreased after treatment (p<0.05). From the results, Tai-Chi exercise was shown to be extremely effective in improving shoulder joint movement and heart rate in elderly breast cancer patients. Further study is needed in this area.
