• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.361-373
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• 2019

Falls are a threat to the physical health of the elderly as well as to their overall quality of life. The purpose of this study was to identify which type of exercise is effective for improving the balance of the elderly, and to obtain the basic data for developing the falls prevention exercise intervention program for the elderly. We compared to the differential effects between rhythmic step exercise and core muscle strengthening exercise in terms of functional balance test and self-reported balance test. Women older than 65 years and under 80 years of age were assigned to one of the step exercise group(21), core muscle exercise group(20), and control group(21), and for 8 weeks, twice per week, 20-30 minutes of exercise were treated. All participants performed one foot static balance test with open and closed eyes. And they responded to self-reported balance test, such as Fall Efficacy Scale(FES) and Activities-specific Balance Confidence(ABC) Scale. The results of statistical analysis are summarized as follows. First, rhythmic stepping exercise was more effective in improving functional balance than core muscle strengthening exercise. In particular, the effect of step exercise was obvious in the one-foot static balance test with open eyes. Second, the self-reported balance test showed better step exercise than core muscle exercise. Specifically, rhythmic step exercise was more effective in enhancing fall efficacy than core muscle exercise. In conclusion, the rhythmic step exercise was more effective in improving the balance ability of the elderly than the core muscle exercise. The rhythmic step exercise is more related to the lower extremity muscles, and especially since the rhythmic step exercise is performed in various ground changes, it seems to have a high similarity to the fall occurrence situation. For future research, we recommended the development of task-oriented ankle proprioceptive exercise intervention program and exercise equipment based on the specific motion situation in which the fall accident occurs in the elderly.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.25-35
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• 2020

Background: There are many situations where walking in an actual community needs to change direction along with walking on a straight path, and this situation needs to be reflected in assessing walking ability of the community. Therefore, in this study, we tried to determine whether the assessments can distinguish the level of walking in the community. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Fifty-two survivors with chronic stroke have participated in the study. According to the evaluation result of 10mWT, the subjects of 0.8m/s and above were classified as the group who could walk in the community (n=22), and the subjects of 0.4m/s~0.8m/s were classified into the group who could not walk in the community (n=30). Modified Rivermead Mobility Index, Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke, Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Berg Balance Scale, 10-meter Walk Test (10mWT) were used to evaluate the motor skills. Furthermore, Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale was used to evaluate psychological factors, and Timed Up & Go Test (TUG), Figure-of-Eight Walk Test (F8WT), Four Square Step Test (FSST), Step Test (ST) were applied to evaluate dynamic balance and mobility. Results: As a result for distinguishing walking levels in the community, TUG was 14.25 seconds, F8WT was 13.34 seconds, FST was 19.43 seconds, and ST of affected side and non-affected side were 6.5 points and 7.5 points, respectively. TUG (AUC=0.923), F8WT (AUC=0.905), and FST (AUC=0.941) were highly accurate, but the ST of affected side and non-affected side (AUC=0.806, 0.705) showed the accuracy of the median degree, respectively. Conclusion: To distinguish walking levels in the community of survivors with chronic stroke, TUG and FSST have been found to be the best assessment tool, and in particular, FSST could be very valuable in clinical use as the most important assessment tool to distinguish walking levels in the community.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.105-112
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• 2020

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of Interactive Metronome training on the plantar pressure and fall efficacy in chronic stroke patients. METHODS: Twenty-two hemiplegic patients were allocated randomly to an experimental group and control group. The experimental group received conventional physical therapy and emphasized weight-bearing interactive metronome training, whereas the control group received conventional physical therapy. The training was performed three times per week, 40 minutes per each session, for a total of seven weeks. The plantar pressure was assessed using the contact area and contact pressure, whereas the fall efficacy was assessed using the FES (Fall Efficacy Scale), ABC (Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale) and FOFQ (Fear of Falling Questionnaire). RESULTS: After training, a significant increase was observed in the paretic side of the contact area and the paretic and non-paretic side of contact pressure in both groups (p<.05). The between-group differences in the changes before and after training were statistically significant in the paretic side of the contact pressure (p<.05). After training, both the FES of the between-group and ABC of the experimental group were increased significantly (p<.05), but the between-group differences in the changes before and after training were not statistically significant in the FES, ABC, and FOFQ (p>.05). CONCLUSION: Interactive Metronome training is considered an effective treatment for improving the contact pressure of the paretic side in chronic stroke patients.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.179-186
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to report the effect of Korean medicine treatments and vestibular rehabilitation practice on an stroke patient with dizziness. The patient received Korean medicine treatments, such as acupuncture and herbal medication, and vestibular rehabilitation practice. The effects of treatments were assessed with the Korean dizziness handicap inventory, Korean activities-specific balance confidence scale, Korean vestibular disorders activities of daily living scale. Researchers conducted gait analysis for evaluation patient's gait disturbance's improvement during treatments. The intensity of dizziness were significantly reduced after the complete treatment. After treatment with traditional Korean medicine and vestibular rehabilitation practice, the patient showed significant improvements in symptoms and gait parameters. This case proved that combined therapy of Korean medicine treatment and vestibular rehabilitation practice can be useful for stroke patients who suffered from dizziness. however, studies of larger populations are required in the future.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.166-174
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• 2022

Objective: The aim of this study is to report the effectiveness of Korean medicine for a patient with dizziness following anterior inferior cerebellar artery infarction. Methods: The patient was treated with traditional Korean methods including acupuncture, herbal therapy, moxibustion, and vestibular rehabilitation exercise during an admission period of seven days. The patient's dizziness was assessed using a numeric rating scale (NRS) and the Korean Dizziness Handicap Inventory (K-DHI), Korean Activities-specific Balance Confidence (K-ABC), Korean Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living (K-VADL), the modified Rankin scale (mRS), and the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI). Results: After seven days of combined treatment with traditional methods and vestibular rehabilitation, the patient's dizziness was reduced from NRS 6-7 to NRS 2. In addition, K-DHI decreased from 84 to 22; K-ABC improved from 52% to 78.125%; K-VADL reduced from 175 to 37; the mRS score changed from 4 to 1; and the K-MBI score increased from 86 to 98. No adverse events were observed during treatment. Conclusion: This study suggests that combined therapy of Korean medicine and vestibular rehabilitation can be effective treatment for anterior inferior cerebellar artery infarction patients.