• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.199-205
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• 2018

Background: Sleep disturbance and depression are becoming more recognized as important symptoms among individuals with chronic low back pain. This study evaluated the effect of stabilization exercise on pain-related disability, sleep disturbance and the psychological status of patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP). Methods: A total of 26 patients (M/F = 17/9) with NSCLBP with a mean age of $50.0{\pm}15.5$ took part in this study. Participants were recruited from selected hospitals in Lagos state. Ethical approval was sought and obtained from the health research and ethics committee of Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-araba, Lagos, Nigeria. Participants performed stabilization exercise for eight weeks consecutively and were assessed for pain-related disability, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance using the pain-disability index, hospital anxiety and depression scale, and the insomnia severity index at baseline, the 4th week, and the 8th week, postintervention. Results: The participants studied recorded significant reduction in pain-related disability (P = 0.001). There was also improvement in the sleep quality (P = 0.001), depression level (P = 0.001), and anxiety level (P = 0.001), post intervention. Conclusions: This study revealed that stabilization exercise is very useful in the management of sleep disturbance, pain-related disability, depression, and anxiety in NSCLBP patients.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2006

Purpose: The goals of this research are to find out factors influencing the duration of work-related disability and to present implications for policies to prevent delayed recovery. Method: The subjects of this study were 238 workers who had been proved to be industrial disaster victims for occupational low back pain between January 1 2000 and December 31 2003. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the proportion of duration of disability associated with low back pain, and Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to identify factors predicting it. The model distinguished main symptom variables affecting acute(${\leq}90\;days$) and chronic phase of disability (>90 days). Result: Fifty percent of the workers had not recovered in 408 days. The results of Cox regression show that delayed duration of disability was predicted by diagnosis, pain radiation (in chronic phase), sex, the size and labor union of the workplace, scheduled rest, compensation from the company, and operation. Conclusion: Duration of disability associated with compensated low back pain is influenced not only by factors related to the company and compensation system but also by individual factors. Thus, future efforts to reduce duration of disability may need to take into account all these factors.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to identify the brain injury patients's disability degree and educational needs of family caregivers. Methods: A convenience sample of 94 families with brain injury patients, who have been receiving treatment at the neurological intensive care unit and neurosurgery ward, were used. Data was collected with a self-report questionnaire from September 5 to November 28, 2011, and was analyzed using SAS program. Results: 'Defecation/urination' disability was the highest score of patient's physical disability and the next ranking was 'paralysis'. 'Memory impairment' disability was the highest score of patient's cognitive disability, and the next ranking was 'personality changes'. Overall, educational needs of family caregivers scored 4.15 out of the perfect score of 5. The factor, which scored highest, was 'information related with disease'. In addition, educational needs of family caregivers were positively related with patient's degree of. Conclusion: Educational needs of family caregivers are distinct, according to the disability degree of brain injury patient. Therefore, the study suggests the development of individualized educational program for family with brain injury patient.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.101-114
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• 2008

Eater Seal, the child care experts, observes that children with disability significantly benefit from receiving appropriated care along side their peers. Typically developing children serve as role models from which children with disabilities learn age-appropriated communications and social behavior. Therefore the children with disability can actively participate in well-designed child care settings. But unfortunately in Seoul, Korea, only 2% of children with disability are taken care of in child care centers. And even the disabled children at the child care centers are mostly mentally or emotionally disabled because the building, programs and services of the centers are restrictive to the children with severe physical disabilities. This study reviewed Korean domestic physical environment of child care centers for children with disabilities. Questionnaire survey was conducted to 103 centers located in Seoul by mail. Our survey revealed that they need more areas for nursing room and special rooms and the accessibility to buildings has to be improved. Also, there are no elevators in all buildings surveyed. Accessibility to toilet is noted as significant problem, especially wet floors in toilets. In a nursing room, a space for psychological rest and special education is needed for children with mental disability. Technical specifications on how to make buildings and facilities accessible for the children with disability should be developed. The goal of this study is to provide basic information to develop domestic design guidelines to ensure that the child care centers are safe, convenient, and usable for everyone possible.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.645-654
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• 2007

Purpose: This research was conducted to compare the effects of drug therapy, physical therapy, and exercise on pain, disability, and depression in patients with chronic low back pain. Methods: The research design of this study was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects of this study were 28 patients for the drug therapy & physical therapy, 24 patients for the drug therapy & exercise, and 22 patients for the physical therapy & exercise. Data was collected by MVAS, Oswestry disability questionnaires, and questionnaires of depression. It was analyzed by paired t-test for effectiveness, ANOVA, and Scheffe for comparison of the effects of the 3 experimental treatments, using SPSS/WIN 12.0. Results: There were no effects of drug therapy & physical therapy on pain, disability, and depression. However, there were effects of drug therapy & exercise and the physical therapy & exercise on pain, disability, and depression. The effects of physical therapy & exercise on pain, disability, and depression were the greatest, but there was no statistically significant differences between the drug therapy & exercise and the physical therapy & exercise. Conclusions: Exercise is regarded as a more effective and easily accessible nursing intervention to apply alone than drug therapy or physical therapy simultaneously in reducing pain, disability and depression.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.121-131
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• 2007

Eater Seal, the child care experts, observes that children with disability significantly benefit from receiving appropriated care along side their peers. Typically developing children serve as role models from which children with disabilities team age-appropriated communications and social behavior. Therefore the children with disability can actively participate in well-designed child care settings. But unfortunately in Seoul, Korea, only 2% of children with disability are taken care of in child care centers. And even the disabled children at the child care centers are mostly mentally or emotionally disabled because the building, programs and services of the centers are restrictive to the children with severe physical disabilities. This study reviewed Korean domestic physical environment of child care centers for children with disabilities. 15 centers located in Seoul were surveyed. Our survey revealed that the accessibility to buildings is poor. There are many places with difference in height of floors. Also, there are no elevators in all buildings surveyed. Accessibility to toilet is noted as significant problem, especially wet floors in toilets. In a nursing room, a space for psychological rest and special education is needed for children with mental disability. Technical specifications on how to make buildings and facilities accessible for the children with disability should be developed. The goal of this study is to provide basic information to develop domestic design guidelines to ensure that the child care centers are safe, convenient, and usable for everyone possible.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.183-188
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• 2016

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate neck posture, range of motion, muscle endurance and self-report of pain and disability in smartphone users. Methods: Seventy-eight university student volunteers, aged between 18 and 30 years (mean age 23.2), were assessed for: a head-neck posture by measuring cranial vertical angle, neck range of motions using cervical range of motion device, and a deep neck flexor endurance using a stabilizer. Finally, subjects were asked about their neck pain and completed disability questionnaires, ie, Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, Neck Disability Index, and World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. Results: Thirty-eight subjects experienced recurrent neck pain with/without upper limb pain (neck pain group) and 40 reported no current neck pain with/without upper limb pain (no neck pain group). Differences were found between groups on pain and disability questionnaires. Subjects with neck pain had significantly higher disability scores than those of no neck pain group. However, there were no differences observed between groups in a head-neck posture, neck range of motions, and deep neck muscle endurance time. The smartphone usage time was negatively correlated with neck pain intensity and disability score whereas it had positive relationship with flexibility and posture. Conclusion: Group differences were observed as lower capacity not only for neck specific daily activities but for general functioning in daily routine when the neck pain and no neck pain groups were compared. Therefore, functioning in daily activities should be investigated as prevention for further developing neck pain in smartphone users.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.218-223
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of active vibration exercise on the neck pain, disability index, and muscle activity of patients with forward head posture. Methods: A total of 24 patients were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group (n=12 each). The experimental group performed active vibration exercise using a flexi-bar for 20 minutes a day, five times a week for four weeks. The study measured patient neck pain using a visual analog scale, neck pain related disability using the neck disability index, and muscle activity using electromyography. Results: The intragroup comparison showed significant differences in the visual analog scale score, neck disability index score and upper trapezius, lower trapezius and serratus anterior muscle activity values among patients in the experimental group. The intergroup comparison showed that differences in the visual analog scale score, neck disability index score and upper trapezius, lower trapezius and serratus anterior muscle activity values in the control group. Conclusion: This study showed that active vibration exercise was effective in improving the neck pain, disability index, and muscle activity of patients with forward head posture.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.201-211
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• 2019

This study examines the effects of chronic disease/disability and stress from health on depressive symptoms among one-person households living in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in Korea. This study also investigates the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between 1)having a chronic disease/disability and depressive symptoms as well as 2)stress from health and depressive symptoms. This study used data from an online survey targeting one-person households living in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The final sample included 499 one-person households. Using a multiple regression analysis with SPSS 20.0, results showed that having a chronic disease/disability was associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms. In addition, stress from health was associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms. In regard to the roles of social support, economic support and emotional support had a direct negative effect on depressive symptoms. Emotional support had a moderating effect on the relationship between having a chronic disease/disability and depressive symptoms. In addition, emotional support also had a moderating effect on the relationship between stress from health and depressive symptoms. Based on these findings, this study suggests that policy makers should reduce the economic burden from a chronic disease/disability and help one-person households to strengthen their social support network.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.225-234
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• 2021

Objective: We aimed to identify the effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching on pain, hip range of motion, and functional disability in patients with chronic low back pain. Design: Randomized controlled trial Methods: In total, 45 patients with chronic low back pain were randomly divided into a conventional stretching group (n=22) and a PNF stretching group (n=23). Both interventions were performed three times per week for 6 weeks. Assessments were made using the visual analog scale, Flexion-Abduction-External Rotation test, modified Thomas test, prone hip extension test, and Oswestry disability index before and after the 6-week intervention period. We conducted a paired t-test to compare the within-group findings before and after the intervention. An independent t-test was used to compare the between-group differences. The statistical significance level was set at α=0.05, for all variables. Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in pain, hip range of motion, and functional disability after the intervention (p<0.05). A significant difference was observed in pain, hip range of motion, and functional disability in patients belonging to the PNF stretching group (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the application of PNF stretching can effectively reduce pain and improve hip range of motion and functional disability in patients with chronic low back pain.