• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.303-310
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• 2011

Purpose : This study examined the feedback effect of real-time ultrasound imaging on the thickness of transversus abdominis(TrA), internal abdominal oblique(IO) and external abdominal oblique(EO) during abdominal hollowing exercise(AHE) in crook lying. Methods : We performed this study on 30 healthy men who voluntarily consented to participate in this study after listening to its purpose and method. All subject were divided into an experimental group(n=15) with using the real-time ultrasound imaging feedback(RUIF) and a control group(n=15) without the RUIF The thickness changes between rest and AHE were compared between the two groups in crook lying. Results : The difference in TrA and EO thickness changes between the groups were significant in crook lying (p<0.05). Conclusion : The group with using real-time ultrasound imaging feedback showed a higher increase in the thickness of TrA than the other group without real-time ultrasound imaging feedback. And the thickness of EO in the group with using real-time ultrasound imaging feedback decreased than the other group without real-time ultrasound imaging feedback. If the muscle thickness can be regarded as an indicator of muscle activity, RUIF will be helpful for inducing the independent activity of TrA by reducing the activities of abdominal muscles such as EO.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.9-17
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• 2013

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of transverse abdominal exercise on the change of chronic low back pain and lumbar muscle strength. Method : 18 chronic lumbago patients were transverse abdominal exercise for 3weeks. Result : 1. The strength of the lumbar extensor and flexor of the male subjects was increased significantly after abdominal exercise(p<0.05). 2. The strength of the lumbar extensor and flexor of the female subjects was increased significantly after abdominal exercise(p<0.05). 3. The study can confirm significant relationship between the lumbar muscle strength and lumbar pain before and after the exercise Conclusion : The study of could find the increase of the ability of the lumbar extensor and flexor of both male and female subjects suffering from chronic low back and pain using three-week transverse abdominal exercise. The study confirmed the general decrease of pain after the experiment.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2006

Breast reconstruction provides dramatic improvement for patients with severe deformity. The reconstruction not only restores aesthetically acceptable breast for patients with mastectomy deformity but also recovers psychological trauma of 'losing feminity' after the cancer mastectomy. There are many options for breast reconstruction from simple prosthetic insertion to a flap operation using autologous abdominal tissue. The choice of operation method depends on the physical condition of the patient, smoking habits, and economic status. Among the many options, the method that uses the lower abdominal tissue is known as the TRAM (transverse rectus abdonimis myocutaneous) flap. Since the introduction of the TRAM flap in 1982 by Hartrampf, the art of breast reconstruction using lower abdominal tissue has been progressively refined to pedicle flap, muscle-sparinga TRAM flap, and recently there have been exciting and revolutionary changes associated with the adoption of the concept of perforator flap. This refined method of breast reconstruction utilizes lower abdominal tissue nourished by the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP). With the DIEP free flap, almost all of the rectus muscle and anterior rectus sheath are preserved and the donor morbidity is minimized. Different from previous flap methods using lower abdominal tissue, DIEP free flap method preserves function of the rectus muscle completely. 1) Understanding the entire progression of breast reconstruction methods using lower abdominal tissue is necessary for plastic surgeons; the understanding of each step of the exciting progression and the review of the past history of the TRAM flap may provide insight for future development.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.10-20
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• 2017

Background: Patients with chronic stroke often shows decreased trunk muscle activity and trunk performance. To resolve these problems, many trunk stabilizing techniques including the abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM) and the diaphragmatic breathing maneuver (DBM) are used to improve trunk muscle strength. Objects: To compare the effects of the ADIM and the DBM on abdominal muscle thickness, trunk control, and balance in patients with chronic stroke. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial. Nineteen patients were randomly allocated to the ADIM ($n_1=10$) and DBM ($n_2=9$) groups. The ADIM and DBM techniques were performed three times per week for 4 weeks. The thicknesses of the transversus abdominis (TrA), internal oblique muscle, and external oblique muscles on the paretic and non-paretic sides, Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS) score, and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score were used to assess changes in motor development after 4 weeks of training. Results: After the training periods, the TrA thickness on the paretic side, TIS score, and BBS score improved significantly in both groups compared to baseline (p<.05). TIS score was significantly greater in the DBM group than in the ADIM group (p<.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that ADIM and DBM are beneficial for improving TrA muscle thickness in the paretic side, trunk control, and balance ability. Intergroup comparison revealed that TIS score was significantly improved in the DBM group versus the ADIM group. Thus, DBM may be an effective treatment for low trunk muscle activity and performance in patients with chronic stroke.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.269-273
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• 2022

Background: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is used for muscle strengthening. While voluntary muscle contraction follows Henneman et al.'s size principle, the NMES-induced muscle training disrespects the neurophysiology, which may lead to unwanted changes (i.e., declined balance ability). Objects: We examined how the balance was affected by abdominal muscle training with the NMES. Methods: Fifteen young adults (10 males and 5 females) aged between 21 and 30 received abdominal muscle strengthening with NMES for 23 minutes. Before and after the training, participants' balance was measured through one leg standing on a force plate with eyes open or closed. Outcome variables included mean distance (MDIST), root mean square distance (RDIST), total excursion (TOTEX), mean velocity (MVELO), and 95% confidence circle area (AREA) of center of pressure data. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test if these outcome variables were associated with time (pre and post) and vision. Results: All outcome variables were not associated with time (p > 0.05). However, all outcome variables were associated with vision (p = 0.0001), and MVELO and TOTEX were 52.4% (45.5 mm/s versus 95.6 mm/s) and 52.4% (364.1 mm versus 764.5 mm) smaller, respectively, in eyes open than eyes closed (F = 55.8, p = 0.0005; F = 55.8, p = 0.0005). Furthermore, there was no interaction between time and vision (F = 0.024, p = 0.877). Conclusion: Despite the different neurophysiology of muscle contraction, abdominal muscle strengthening with NMES did not affect balance.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.53-67
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• 2023

Background: This study comparatively evaluated the effects of equipment-based pilates exercises (EPE) and lumbar stability exercises (LSE) in patients with chronic low back pain in terms of their Visual Analogue Scale(VAS), Oswestry Disability Index(ODI), and abdominal muscle thickness. Methods: A total of 30 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to either the EPE or the LSE. The VAS, ODI, and abdominal muscle thicknesses of the participants were measured before and after the intervention. Results: The EPE were more effective in terms of the duration of a sustained reduction in VAS scores. post hoc test revealed that EPE were more efficacious in terms of a sustained improvement in ODI scores. With respect to changes in abdominal muscle thickness, there was a significant difference in the thickness of internal oblique muscles(IO) and the external oblique muscles(EO) between the two groups. Conclusion: In this study, both types of exercise interventions resulted in improvements in the VAS, ODI scores, and abdominal muscle thickness in patients with chronic low back pain. However, EPE were found to be more effective than LPE in terms of longer sustained improvements in VAS and ODI scores. Also, with respect to abdominal muscle thickness, the thickness of EO and IO improved only in the EPE group.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1051-1058
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• 2014

In this study, we investigated the improvement effect of obesity by treatment with a developed low frequency electrical stimulation system. Thirty female in their 20's as an experiment subjects divided 3 groups(control, commercialized device, developed device) were treated with electrical stimulation on abdomen for 4 weeks. The body weight, body mass index(BMI), waist-hip ratio(WHR), muscle strength, muscle(transverse abdominis(TrA), internal obliquus abdominis(IO), external obliquus abdominis(EO)), fat thickness and abdominal surface temperature were measured by electromyogram(EMG), ultrasound and digital infrared thermal image(DITI). In the result, the body weight and BMI were decreased. Subcutaneous abdominal fat were significantly reduced after 4 weeks. The muscle strength and TrA muscle thickness was increased 13.2%(p<0.05), and 35.5%, respectively. The fat thickness showed decrease in abdomen (p<0.05). Infrared measurement on abdominal surface temperature as a parameter of improvement in blood circulation was significantly increased(p<0.05). Therefore, the low frequency stimulation showed positive effects on parameters of the obesity improvement.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.255-298
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• 2003

The purpose of study was to evaluate effects of a trunk muscle strength training on sitting balance of children with spastic cerebral palsy. Five individuals with spastic cerebral palsy(three females. two males; mean aged 6.6) participated three times a week over 6 weeks. Five individuals with spastic cerebral palsy(three females. two males; mean aged 7.0) who did not receive strength training served as control. BPM(Balance Performance Moniter) was used to measured sitting balance and EMG(electromyograph, NORAXON, USA) was used to measured activities of abdominal and erector spine muscle. The obtain result are as follows. 1. The result of this study were following that maximum perturbation area and perturbation velocity were significantly reduced strength training group compared with control group(p<.05). 2. The result of this study were following that maximum perturbation area and perturbation velocity were significantly reduced after strength training compared with pre strength training in strength training group(p<.05). 3. The result of this study were following that maximum perturbation area and perturbation velocity were not significantly reduced at interval of six week in control group(p<.05). 4. The result of this study were following that abdominal muscle activity was significantly increased strength training group compared with control group(p<.05). 5. The result of this study were following that erector spine muscle activity was significantly increased strength training group compared with control group(p<.05). 6. The result of this study were following that abdominal muscle activity and erector spine muscle were significantly increased after strength training compared with pre strength training in strength training group(p<.05). 7. The result of this study were following that abdominal muscle activity and erector spine muscle were not significantly increased at interval of six week in control group(p<.05). In conclusion, the result of this study suggest that improved sitting balance and increased activities of trunk muscle by trunk strength training in spastic cerebral palsy. The result was proposed that therapeutic approach of spastic cerebral palsy with impaired sitting balance should use trunk strength training.

• The Journal of Korean society of community based occupational therapy
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.57-65
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• 2013

Objective : The purpose of this study was to identify the effect and difference of abdominal muscle strengthening exercise, back muscle stretching and multi-training on the lumbar flexibility of 20s adults. Method : The abdominal muscle strengthening exercise, back muscle stretching and multi-training were conducted 9 times targeting 21 subjects who attended K University from 2013 May 29 to June 14. Sit and Reach Tests were conducted 2 times(before and after exercise program) for flexibility test and measured data were processed with SPSS program WIN 12.0K. By the Wilcoxon signed rank test, the effectiveness of exercises are verified. By the Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test, the difference of effectiveness among the exercise groups are verified. Result : The results of this study were summerized below 1. Before and after exercise, in abdominal muscle strengthening exercise group, back muscle stretching group and multi-training group are showed statistically significant differences(p<.05), 2. There were statistically significant difference in the improvement of the flexibility between each group(p>.05). Conclusion : These data suggests that all of the 3 exercise programs are brought positive influences on the improvement of flexibility, and abdominal muscle strengthening exercises and flexibility multi-training are effective on the flexibility more than, back muscle stretching in 20s adults.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.411-416
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of activation of gluteus maximus (Gmax) and abdominal muscle using EMG biofeedback on lumbosacral and tibiocalcaneal angles in standing position. Methods: Fourteen healthy subjects with normal feet participated in the present study. Electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback using visual cue was used to activate the external oblique (EO) and Gmax. The lumbosacral and tibiocalcalcaneal angles were measured by electronic goniometers. All the subjects were instructed to activate the Gmax and EO monitoring increasing amounts of the muscle activities in each muscle. The lumbosacral and tibiocalcaneal angles were collected in three trials during resting and activation of each muscle using EMG biofeedback in standing position. The mean value of three trials was used in the data analysis. A paired-t test was used to compare the lumbosacral and tibiocalcaneal angles between resting and activation of the Gmax and EO using EMG biofeedback. Results: The lumbosacral and tibiocalcaneal angles were significantly less in the resting compared to activation using EMG biofeedback (p<0.05). Conclusion: The activaition of Gmax and abdominal muscles using EMG biofeedback play role to control the pronation of subtalar joint during the weight-bearing.