The doctor is in

Marc Rowe found this snippet on how tai chi helps one develop greater sensitivity in your feet.

Journal Article
Does Tai Chi improve plantar sensory ability? A pilot study.
Richerson S, Rosendale K. Diabetes Technol Ther 2007; 9(3): 276-86.
Correspondence: unavailable Affiliation: Biomedical Engineering Program,
Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, USA.
richerss@msoe.edu DOI: 10.1089/dia.2006.0033 What is this? (Copyright ©
2007, Mary Ann Liebert)

BACKGROUND: Aging adversely affects balance and
increases the propensity to slip and fall. Loss of plantar sensation due to
diabetic peripheral neuropathy and other diseases has been shown to further
increase this propensity to fall. The ancient Chinese art of Tai Chi has
been previously shown as a method to improve balance in healthy elderly
adults.
METHODS: The aim of this study was to determine if Tai Chi
intervention improved both balance and plantar sensory perception in healthy
elderly adults and elderly adults with diabetes and plantar sensory loss.
Elderly subjects (mean +/- SD age = 73.1 +/- 5.9 years, n = 18) were tested
for plantar sensory ability and several balance metrics before Tai Chi
training and again after 6 months of weekly sessions. Participants were
grouped by initial sensory perception scores (as measured by a vibrometer)
in order to make inferences on the effects of Tai Chi on sensory perception.
RESULTS: Plantar sensation results show all participants showed significant
improvement in sensory ability with the 6 months of Tai Chi training. All
groups also had a general improvement in all balance measures, with the
greatest improvement seen in those subjects with large sensory losses.
Hemoglobin A1C measurements also decreased as a result of the intervention.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of Tai Chi training as
a method of improving plantar sensation and balance in elderly adults and
elderly adults with diabetes with a large plantar sensation loss.