• PNF and Movement
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the immediate effects of using the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) contract-relax technique in the close kinetic chain position on the gait ability and gastrocnemius muscle tone of stroke patients. Methods: The subjects were patients who had strokes due to cerebrum infarction and hemorrhage. The subjects participated in exercise with the PNF contract-relax technique in the standing-on-elbow position with a high table, and the affected lower leg was placed in the posterior position. The PNF contract-relax technique was applied at the position in which the ankle plantar-flexors were in a sufficiently elongated position. After performing twice in each range, while the muscle was elongated, the affected side was moved further back and a new range was set. In each session, the time of contraction was set to 8 seconds, and the resting time was set to 5 seconds; however, if the patient felt tired, they received more resting time during the intervention. The Myoton Pro and 10 m walking test were used to measure the muscle tone and gait ability both pre- and post-intervention. Results: After participating in the program, the muscle tone decreased and the gait ability improved in the ankle plantar-flexors, as determined by the Myoton Pro and 10 m walking test. Conclusion: The PNF contract-relax technique can help to decrease muscle tone in ankle plantar-flexors with hypertonus and increase the gait ability in stroke patients.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.537-549
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• 2001

The isometric torque of the elbow flexor and extensor muscles were measured for 6 seconds at a joint angle of 90$^{\circ}$ , in 10 normal subjects (control group) and 10 hemiplegic subjects(patient group), using the Cybex NORMTM System. The peak torque, the time to peak torque were measured for each exercise. In addition, heart rate and blood pressure were recorded simultaneously at rest and immediately following exercise completion at 1 and 3m mutes. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 8.0 for Windows software and mean and standard deviations were calculated. The results are as follows. 1) In the patient involved group. the isometric values for flexors and extensors were significantly lower than in the normal nondominant group(p<.05). 2) The extensor to flexor strength ratio in the isometric mode was 121.0% in the patient involved group compared with 78.7%in the normal nondominant group, a significant difference(p<.05). 3) The mean increment ratio was increased 19.0% for systolic blood pressure and 25.2% for disatolic blood pressure in the patient group. 4) The mean increment ratio was increased 36.0% heart rate in the patient group.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.262-267
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was designed to analyze the differences in cerebral cortex activity of the elderly after extracting the movement related cortical potentials (MRCPs) from electroencephalogram (EEG) during a concentric and eccentric contraction of the elbow joint flexors, and entering them into the brain-mapping program to make the images. Methods: Right-dominant normal elderly people were divided into an eccentric contraction group and a concentric contraction group. Then, their MRCPs were measured using EEG and sEMG, during an eccentric and concentric contraction. Then, they were converted into images using the brain-mapping program. Results: Eccentric contraction group's $C_3$ and Cz showed statistically higher mean values of MRCP positive potential than the concentric contraction group. Conclusion: Researching a cerebral cortex activity, using MRCP, would provide basic data for clinical neuro-physiological researches on aging or neural plasticity of patients with a central nervous system injury.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.587-598
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• 1995

The purpose of this study was to test the microcurrent electrical neuromuscular stimulation on muscle soreness, serum creatine kinase levels and force deficits evident following a high-intensity eccentric exercise bout. 10 volunteer male subjects were randomly assigned to a treatment group or to a control group. Exercise consisted of high-intensity eccentric contractions of the elbow flexors. Resistance was reduced as subjects fatigued, until they reached exhaustion. Muscle soreness rating was determined using a visual analog scale. Serum creatine kinase levels were analyzed using a blood sample. Force deficits were determined by measures of maximal voluntary isometric contraction at $90^{\circ}$ of elbow flexion on a Orthotron II dynamometer. Muscle soreness rating, serum creatine kinase levels and maximal voluntary isometric contraction were determined at the before exercise and again at 24 and 48 hours postexericse. Treatments were applied immediately following exercise. The control group subjects rested following their exercise bout. Statistical analysis showed significant increases in muscle soreness rating and significant decreases in maximal voluntary isometric contraction when the before exercise was compared with 24 and 48 hour measures(p<0.01). No significant effects were observed between groups in muscle soreness rating and maximal voluntary isometric contraction(p>0.05). Highly significants differences in serum creatine kinase levels were found using on Analysis of variance(ANOVA) repeated measures between groups for each time cycles(p<0.001). This modality may have benefits when used early stage in the muscle damage.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2006

Since ultrasound has different reflections depending on components of organization, analysis of ultrasound images of skeletal muscle can offer both quantitative and qualitative reports as concerns skeletal muscle structure. This study is focused on the ultrasound method for evaluating the structural characteristics of skeletal muscle and also conducted to examine its practicality. After obtaining images of the elbow flexors from an ultrasound image device with 88 normal subjects whose ages were between twenty and seventy years old (44 men and 44 women), muscular density and white area index (WAI) which indicated structural characteristics of skeletal muscle were analyzed with gray scale analysis. The study examined correlations between subject's age and items which obtained from measuring ultrasound images and the differences in relations to sex and age. Muscular density and WAI had a high correlation with age and were significantly increased in men and women with greater age. The quantitative evaluation method of skeletal muscle structure which analyzed the ultrasound images has high practicality because it is a non-invasive method which complements physical therapy diagnosis and research methods and promotes functionality evaluation.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.7-12
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• 2019

[Purpose] Eccentric exercise induces a decrease in vascular endothelial function. Curcumin, a major component of turmeric, has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that are associated with vascular protective effects. The present study examined the effect of acute supplementation of curcumin on eccentric exercise-induced endothelial dysfunction in healthy young men. [Methods] Fourteen healthy sedentary young men (range, 21-29 years) were assigned to either the curcumin (n = 6) or placebo (n = 8) group. All subjects consumed either curcumin or placebo before exercise, and eccentric exercise of the elbow flexors was performed with their nondominant arm. Before and 60 min after exercise, brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), as an indicator of endothelial function, was measured in the non-exercised arm. [Results] Brachial artery FMD significantly decreased following eccentric exercise (p < 0.05) in the placebo group, but acute supplementation with curcumin before exercise nullified this change. The change in FMD before and after eccentric exercise between the placebo and curcumin groups was significantly different (p < 0.05). [Conclusion] The present study found that acute curcumin supplementation could attenuate the decrease in endothelial function, as measured by FMD, following eccentric exercise in healthy young men.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.257-266
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• 2011

Purpose : To assess the relationship between post-stroke shoulder pain, motor function, and pain-related quality of life(QOL) Methods : Volunteer sample of 62 chronic stroke survivors with post-stroke shoulder pain and glenohumeral subluxation. The patients answered the question in shoulder pain with the Brief Pain Inventory question 12 (BP1-12), Pain-related Quality of life(BPI-23). Therapists measured the performance of combined upper-limb movement including the hand-behind-neck(HBN), hand-behind-beck(HBB) maneuver, added passive pain-free shoulder external rotation range of motion, and Modified Ashworth Scale(MAS) score of the elbow flexors. Physical performance assessments were used to measure basic activity daily living(Modified Barthel Index-self care, MBI-S/C), motor function of upper limb(Fugl-Meyer Upper/Lower Extremity, FM-U/E). Results : Stepwise regression analyses indicated that post-stroke shoulder pain is associated with the BPI 23, but not with the FM-U/E, MBI-S/C. Thus, the presence of shoulder pain is more important predicting pain-related QOL than its degree in predicting motor function of upper limb and basic activity daily living. Conclusion : Post-stroke shoulder pain was associated with reduced quality of life related to pain. The pain was not associated with the motor function of upper limb and basic activity daily living. The result imply that management of shoulder pain & anatomical position of shoulder joint after stroke should be emphasized. This provides a further incentive to develop effective rehabilitation prevention and treatment strategies for post-stroke shoulder pain.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.109-128
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• 2003

This study tested whether repeated measurement of median frequency (MDF)-related variables could express the muscle power changes during a 12-week DeLome strengthening program, by using consecutive overlapping FFT (Fast Fourier transformation) and integrated EMG (IEMG) from surface EMG data for isometric and isotonic exercise. To evaluate the effect of training, the following were recorded every 3 weeks for the elbow flexors and knee extensors of 5 healthy male volunteers: MVC, lRM, limb circumference, and surface EMG during isometric MVC or isotonic contraction at 10RM load. From the EMG data, IEMG and variables from a regression analysis between MDF and time were obtained. MVC, lRM, IEMG, and initial MDF increased linearly over the training period. The fatigue index and slope of the regression line increased temporarily until the 6th week and decreased thereafter. From these results, there appeared to be enhanced neural recruitment of fast twitch fibers in the first 6 weeks and continued enhancement in the recruitment and hypertrophy of fast twitch fibers, which led to increased fatigue resistance, over the last 6 weeks. Accordingly, the MDF and IEMG analysis technique could demonstrate the effect of the program detected significant changes in both isometric and isotonic contractions. EMG analysis methods can be used to estimate the electrophysiological and histological changes in skeletal muscles during a strengthening program.