• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.125-135
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• 2019

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of low frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) training on abdominal obesity in middle-aged women through electromyography and ultrasound. METHODS: Twenty-two middle aged women with abdominal obesity participated in the study. A low-frequency NMES device was used on the abdomen and waist of each subject for 20 minutes each (a total of 40 minutes) three times a week for eight weeks. The waist-hip ratio (WHR), weight and BMI (Body Mass Index) were measured. Electromyography (EMG) and ultrasound measurements were performed three times in total (pre-intervention, four weeks into the intervention, and eight weeks post-intervention) to examine the effects of low-frequency NMES on the abdominal muscle activity, muscle thickness, and subcutaneous fat. RESULTS: The results indicated a difference in the WHR and waist circumference before and after intervention (p<.05). The external oblique muscle (EO) showed a significant increase in muscle activity during all measurements taken post-intervention (p<.05). The abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness also showed a significant decrease between each measurement (p<.05). The test results showed that the abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness values taken eight weeks post-intervention were significantly lower than those taken pre-intervention and four weeks into the intervention (p<.05). CONCLUSION: These findings show that low-frequency NMES device training can be applied to middle-aged women with abdominal obesity to improve their body shape and exercise performance.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.112-122
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of using socks combined with EMS on ankle pain reduction and ankle function improvement in home training participants. In this study, the conductive fabric was combined using socks that can properly compress the ankle. First, VAS was measured during EMS training after fatigue was induced and compared with fatigue during rest. It was confirmed that the level of VAS after EMS training was lower than after rest and fatigue. It was also confirmed that EMS training, which combines EMS with socks, was effective in reducing pain. The experimental action is a measurement action of WBLT and lying posture, and the situation before and after EMS training was compared by performing 30 minutes on the treadmill to cause delayed muscle pain during exercise. As a result of this study, it was found that pain reduction and ROM function were improved when electrical stimulation was performed using EMS socks. It was also confirmed that the application of electrical stimulation to EMS socks effected on ankle fatigue and function improvement. From the study results, it is expected that wearing socks equipped with EMS significantly reduces ankle injuries and improves functional recovery for home training participants.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.113-120
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• 2022

Purpose : Lymphedema is a common complication in mastectomy patients and is usually characterized by pain, swelling, and limited range of motion (ROM) in the arm. Electromyostimulation (EMS) is widely used for the rehabilitation and recovery of subjects with various neuromusculoskeletal disorders after breast cancer. However, EMS has not yet been used in many Pilates exercises. This study was aimed at comparing the effects of instrument Pilates integrated with EMS on pain, lymphedema, and ROM of the upper extremity (UE) in breast cancer subjects after mastectomy. Methods : Nine female breast cancer subjects who had undergone mastectomy participated in the study. The subjects underwent instrument Pilates with EMS (experimental group) or instrument Pilates only (control group). Pain, lymphedema, and ROM of the UE were measured using the visual analog scale (VAS), the circumference length of the UE, and the ROM of the UE. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the pain, lymphedema, and ROM of the arm before and after the intervention, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the two groups. The statistical significance level was set to p < .05. Results : In the experimental group, there were significant differences in pain (p<.05) and UE circumference (p<.05) before and after intervention. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in VAS (p>.05) or circumference length of the UE (p>.05). There was one significant difference between the groups in terms of internal rotation of the ROM of the UE (p<.05). Conclusion : These results show that instrument Pilates exercises combined with EMS may positively affect the internal rotation of the ROM of the UE in breast cancer patients after mastectomy, thus contributing to existing knowledge about instrument Pilates using EMS for the effective management of in breast cancer subjects after mastectomy.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.49-55
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• 2023

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze randomized controlled trials about neuromuscular electrical stimulation for muscle wasting with cancer patient and evaluate it's motor functionality effect. Methods Studies will be searched from 7 online databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI], Korean studies Information Service System [KISS], Research Information Sharing Service [RISS], Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System [OASIS]). Participants will be cancer patients with muscle loss, regardless of cause, gender, race or age, interventions will be neuromuscular electrical stimulation. Other treatments than interventions will be the control group and the main outcome will be reviewed by motor functionality effect. Results Randomized controlled trials about neuromuscular electrical stimulation for muscle wasting should be included in the study. Primary outcomes include motor functionality effect. Secondary outcomes evaluate adverse event. The data uses Review Manager Software 5.4. Conclusions The conclusion of this study will provide a basis for determining whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation treatment for muscle wasting with cancer patient treatment is an effective and safe treatment method in clinical practice.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.93-107
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• 2023

This study aimed to design a knee brace with dry electrode EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) for elite badminton players suffering from knee pain and assess its effectiveness in relieving pain and improving mobility. The assessment measured knee joint range of motion (ROM), Sargent jump height, and pain perception using a visual analog scale (VAS). Four experimental groups were established: stability, pain induction after 100 squats, muscle soreness induction with a regular knee brace, and muscle soreness induction with the EMS knee brace. The most suitable knee brace was selected from four samples to design the EMS knee brace. The conductive fabric was integrated into the inner surface of the knee brace to enhance EMS conductivity for the quadriceps muscles. Tensile strength tests showed that the dry electrode did not significantly affect the physical functionality of the knee brace.Regarding knee joint ROM and Sargent jump height, the EMS knee brace outperformed muscle soreness induction with a regular knee brace and wearing a standard knee brace. VAS measurements demonstrated that the EMS braces effectively alleviated pain perception in most cases. The results indicate the potential for developing EMS braces to alleviate pain and prevent injuries for athletes across various sports.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.428-432
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• 1999

Background: It has been shown that low-grade electrical stimulus can transform fatigue resistant muscles which then can be used to protect the heart. The bulky and cumbersome power sources of the artificial heart or implantable ventricular assist devices are still in need of solution; however, on the other hand, the implantable ventricular assist devices using the resistant muscles as the power source have the advantages of using its own muscle contractions. The purpose of this study was to determine the possibility of a clinical application of the skeletal muscle ventricle. Material and Method: Latissimus dorsi muscles (LDM) of 8 canines were used for skeletal muscle ventricle. A latex chamber was wrapped one and a half times with LDM. The chamber was attached to a pressure transducer via Tygon tube. An electrode stimulator was placed around the thoracodorsal nerve and LDM was stimulated in cyclic bursts of 0.31 sec on time and 6.0 sec off time using 3.0 volt Itrel stimulator. The preload volume was added to the system in 25cc increments. Ejection volumes, pressures, and peak power outputs were measured. Result: Ejection volume was 76.3cc with 0cc of preload. Ejection volumes were less than 70ml with increments of preload over 75cc Pressures were more than 107 mmHg when the preloads were less than 75cc and less than 100 mmHg when the preloads were more than 100cc. Peak power output of 16.6 W/kg was observed at 50cc preload. Conclusion: Depending on the changes of preload, the volumes ejected from skeletal muscle ventricle and pressures from the skeletal muscle contraction surpassed those of the normal heart. These data suggest that there are clinical applications for skeletal muscle ventricular assist system.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.352-358
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• 2017

Frontotemporal dementia, the second most common cause of early onset dementia, is a neurodegenerative clinical syndrome characterized by progressive deficits in behavior, executive function and language. Although motor symptoms in frontotemporal dementia are represented by motor neuron disease, parkinsonism and progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome, there have been no reports of motor weakness caused by the direct involvement of central motor nervous systems in frontotemporal dementia. Moreover, no association between clinical dementia groups and complex regional pain syndrome has been reported. We diagnosed a rare case with motor weakness and complex regional pain syndrome of lower limbs due to central nervous system lesion in a patient with frontotemporal dementia by magnetic resonance imaging, electrodiagnostic study and three phase bone scan. Following steroid therapy for complex regional pain syndrome, pain was improved. Functional improvement was noted after rehabilitation therapy, including functional electrical stimulation, muscle strengthening exercise and gait training during hospitalization. This case report suggests that rehabilitation therapy for motor weakness in frontotemporal dementia could be effective for improving overall function.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.507-516
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• 1995

The nonstationary identifier in the DCT domain is suggested in this study for the identification of AR parameters of above-lesion upper-trunk electromyographic (EMG) signals as a means of developing a reliable real time signal to control functional electrical stimulation (FES) in paraplegics to enable primitive walking. As paraplegic shifts his posture from one attitude to another, there is transition period where the signal is clearly nonstationary. Also as muscle fatigues, nonstationarities become more prevalent even during stable postures. So, it requires a develpment of time varying nonstationary EMG signal identifier. In this paper, time varying nonstationary EMG signals are transformed into DCT domain and the transformed EMG signals are modeled and analyzed in the transform domain. In the DCT domain, we verified reduction of condition number and increment of the smallest eigenvalue of input correlation matrix that influences numerical properties and mean square error were compared with SLS algorithm, and the proposed algorithm is implemented using IMS T-805 parallel processing computer for real time application.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.49-61
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• 2005

Summary of Background Data: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common painful muscle disorder caused by trigger points occurring in myofascial. MPS is a major cause of chronical pain and is the subject of further clinical examination. Purpose: To uncover effective intramuscular stimulation therapy (IMS), the patients' actively participation stretching exercise and stabilizing around shoulder girdle where trigger point provoking myofascial pain syndrome in usually occurred. Methods: 45 myofascial pain syndrome patients were randomly chosen and divided into 3 groups. The first group (G1) received only IMS therapy, The second group (G2) had both IMS and active stretching exercises administered and the final group (G3) was given IMS therapy and stabilizing exercises. Therapy intervention was given for 3 weeks, 3 times a week and then only stretching exercise for the second group and stabilizing exercise for the third group was given for another 3 weeks. The visual analogue scale was dine before the experiment, 3 weeks after the experiment and 6weeks after the experiment to measure subjective degrees of pain and pressure pain threshold to measure sensitivity improvement of trigger point and functional ability questionnaire to measure daily life performance. Results: There were no significant changes after 3 weeks but after 6 weeks, between GI and G2 and between G1 and G3 showed significant change of pain, pressure pain threshold and daily life performance. There were significant improvement of the measurement of degrees of pain, pressure pain threshold and improvement of daily life performance at different times for G1 showed change 3 weeks after the experiment, but there were no changes 6 weeks after the experiment. There were significant improvement of the measurement at different times for G2 and G3 showed change 3 weeks after the experiment and 6 weeks after the experiment. Conclusions: IMS therapy proved to be effective in inactivation of trigger points of the myofascial pain syndrome patients and stretching and stabilizing exercises beside it keep remedial value longer by improvement of pain and dysfunction that occurred by the trigger point.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.15-29
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• 2023

Objectives The purpose of this study is to systematically review the effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation treatment on muscle wasting in cancer patients. Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched from seven online databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korean studies Information Service System, Research Information Sharing Service. The selected RCTs were evaluated for methodological quality through the Cochrane RoB. Results A total of 126 articles were identified, and 4 randomized controlled trials were selected for systematic review. In one study, it was found that there were statistically significant improvements in the Health-Related Quality of Life (FACTH&N total score, p<0.001). Additionally, significant effects were observed in measurements that represented the size of the quadriceps muscle (cross-sectional area of Vastus lateralis and Rectus femoris, p=0.004), maximum muscle strength, the twitch response of resistance muscles, and voluntary activation (p<0.001). However, no significant differences were observed between the intervention and control groups in terms of quadriceps muscle strength in two other studies (p>0.05). Lastly, while one study showed no significant differences in muscle fiber characteristics between the two groups, it did report significant improvements in measurements related to mitochondria within muscle tissue and muscle strength in the intervention group (p<0.05). Conclusions Neuromuscular electrical stimulation can be a method used to improve muscle strength in muscle wasting of cancer patients, but it is difficult to see its effects as significant compared to other treatments.