• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.1903-1906
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• 2019

Background: Foot drop is a common symptom after stroke and causes walking disorders. Therefore, its proper treatment is important for improving the walking ability of patients with foot drop. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of electrostimulation during walking on the walking ability of patients with foot drop after stroke. Design: Quasi-experial study. Methods: The study enrolled 18 patients with foot drop after stroke. All subjects were assigned to the experimental or control group. The experimental group underwent electric stimulation during walking, while the control group used ankle foot orthoses. Both groups received treatment 20 minutes a day 5 times a week for 4 weeks. Outcome measures were assessed for walking and balance ability using the 10-m walking test (10MWT), 6-min walking test (6MWT), and Timed Up and Go test (TUG) Results: After the intervention, both groups showed significant improvements in 6MWT and TUG results. However, the experimental group showed significantly better improvement on all tests than the control group. Conclusion: The foot drop stimulator effectively improved the walking and balance ability of patients with foot drop after stroke.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.59-64
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• 2017

Objective: Elderly people with dementia experience not only cognitive dysfunction but also motor function deficits, such as balance and gait impairments. Recently, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been used to reduce pain as well as to control muscle spasm, spasticity and motor performance in various types of subjects. The purpose of this study determined the effect of a single trial TENS on balance and gait function in elderly people with dementia. Design: A randomized controlled trial. Methods: Twenty-two subjects with dementia were assigned to the TENS group (n=12) and ten subjects were assigned to the control group (n=10) randomly. Subjects were classified into two groups: the TENS group (n=12) and the placebo-TENS group (n=10). The TENS group had electrical stimulation applied on the calf muscle for 15 minutes, while the placebo-TENS group had not received real electrical stimulation. The timed up and go test (TUG) and functional reach test (FRT) were used to measure the balance function, and the 10 meters walk test (MWT) and 6MWT were used to assess gait ability. All tests were performed before and after intervention under a single-blinded condition. Results: After intervention, there were significant improvements in TUG, FRT, 10MWT, and 6MWT results in the TENS group (p<0.05), while the placebo-TENS group did not show significant changes in all outcome measurements. There were also differences in all tests between the two groups at post-measurements (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a single trial TENS application on the calf may be used to improve balance and gait function in elderly people with dementia.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.32-39
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• 2021

Objective: The weakness of muscle strength due to stroke affects the posture control and gait in the patients with stroke. Stroke This study examined the effects of the stair climbing training with functional electrical stimulation on muscle strength, dynamic balance, and gait in individuals with chronic stroke. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Total forty-eight patients were randomly assigned to the 3 groups. Participants randomly divided to stair climbing training with functional electrical stimulation group (SCT+FES group, n=16), stair climbing training group (SCT group, n=16) and control group (n=16). Subjects in the SCT+FES group and SCT group performed stair walking training with and without functional electrical stimulation for 30 minutes, 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks and all subjects received conventional physical therapy for 30 minutes with 5 sessions per week for 4 weeks. Outcome measurements were assessed using the sit-to stand Test for strength, timed up and go test and modified-timed up and go test for dynamic balance, and 10m walk test and GaitRite system for gait. Results: In the SCT+FES group, subjects have been shown the significant increase in lower extremity strength (p<0.05), significantly improve in dynamic balance (p<0.05), and significantly improve in their temporal gait parameter (p<0.05). The SCT+FES group was significantly better than other groups in all parameters (p<0.05). Conclusions: This result suggested that the SCT+FES may be effective strategy to improve muscle strength, dynamic balance, and gait for individuals with chronic stroke.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.365-371
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• 2020

Objective: To investigate the action observation effects of functional electrical stimulation (FES) on the communication between motor cortex and muscle through corticomuscular coherence (CMC) analysis. Methods: Electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) of 27 healthy, nonathlete subjects were measured during action observation, FES, and action observation with FES, which lasted for 7sper session for 10 times. All trials were repeated for 30 times. Simultaneously measured EEG raw data and rectified EMG signals were used to calculate CMC. Only confidence limit values above 0.0306 were used for analysis. CMC was divided into three frequency domains, andthe grand average coherence and peak coherence were computed. Repeated ANOVA was performed to analyze the coherence value difference for each condition's frequency band. Results: CMC showed significant differences in peak coherence and average coherence between the conditions (p<0.05). Action observation application with FES in all frequency band showed the highest peak and average coherence value. Conclusions: The results of this study are assumed to be the combination of increased eccentric information transfer from the sensorymotor cortex by action observation and an increased in concentric sensory input from the peripheral by the FES, suggesting that these are reflecting the sensorimotor integration process.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1998 no.11
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• pp.139-140
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• 1998

Urinary incontinence therapy system has been developed using electric stimulation and biofeedback techniques. In the electric stimulation, bipolar current pulses with the frequency of 10-50Hz were applied to vagina muscle. To alleviate possible skin burning caused by locally focussed current silicone electrodes rather than conventional steel electrodes have been developed.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.105-112
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• 2002

When any damage or disease occurs, muscular strength and muscular endurance are lowered, and thus, if one is able to be restored from the damage or the disease, appropriate stimulus is required, since the muscles have to restore their proper functions. For such stimulus, the way of exercising and the way using electric stimulus are used in physical therapy. In order to examine the change in muscular strength, muscular endurance and girth of limbs for Biceps brachii, according to the lands of stimulus, in this article a total of 42 healthy male and female adults in their twenties were randomly sampled, and a series of tests were conducted for 6 weeks, for 15 minutes per once, 3 times per week, respectively, dividing them into the group for RUS(Russian Current Stimulation), PRE(Progressive Resistive Exercise) and P+R(RUS + PRE). The findings showed that the change in muscular strength was most significant as for the group for P+R, since it increased from $62.12{\pm}25.30$ before experiment to $95.78{\pm}34.07$ after 6 weeks: the change in muscular endurance was most significant as for the group for P+R, since it increased from $17.57{\pm}6.63$ to $42.86{\pm}10.24$; and the change in the girth of limbs was slightly significant only in the group for P+R, and the remaining two groups showed no significance.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.164-168
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• 2015

Purpose: Flexibility has been considered one of the most important goals in rehabilitation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with the static stretching technique on the flexibility of hamstrings. Methods: Twenty-four subjects (15 men, 9 women) with limited hamstrings flexibility received three different intervention sessions in random order. The treatment sessions included static stretching (SS), static stretching with motor-level TENS (SS with motor TENS) and sensory-level TENS (SS with sensory TENS). All sessions of SS were performed in the straight-leg raise position for 30 seconds followed by rest for 15 seconds, in repetitions for 10 minutes using a belt. The TENS groups underwent TENS stimulation ($40{\mu}s$, 100 Hz) during the stretching for 10 minutes. Outcome measures were evaluated according to active knee extension (AKE) and recorded before the session and at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 15 minutes after the session. Results: There was significant improvement in hamstrings flexibility within all groups (p<0.05). SS with TENS (both sensory and motor) maintained significant increases in knee extension range of motion until 15 minutes post-treatment. In contrast, the SS-only group maintained significantly increased hamstrings flexibility only until 6 minutes post-treatment (p<0.05). Conclusion: Improvement in hamstrings flexibility with SS with TENS was maintained longer than with SS-only intervention. Electrical stimulation with stretching may be more effective than SS alone for increased duration of maintained hamstrings flexibility.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.63-70
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• 2019

PURPOSE: While electrical stimulation (ES) is known to be a safe and flexible tool in rehabilitation therapy, it has had limited adoption in muscle regeneration. This study was performed to investigate whether ES can induce myogenic differentiation and to clarify the mechanism underlying the effects of ES on myogenic differentiation. METHODS: This study used rat L6 cell lines as myoblasts for myogenic differentiation. Electric stimulation was applied to the cells using a C-Pace EP culture pacer (IonOptix, Westwood, Ma, USA). The gene expressions of myogenic markers were examined using qPCR and immunochemistry. RESULTS: Our study showed that ES increased the thickness and length of myotubes during myogenic differentiation. It was found that ES increased the expression of myogenic markers, such as MyoD and Myogenin, and also activated the fusion of the myoblast cells. In addition, ES suppressed the expression of small GTPases, which can explain why ES promotes myogenic differentiation. CONCLUSION: We found that ES induced myogenic differentiation by suppressing small GTPases, inhibiting cell division. We suggest that ES-based therapies can contribute to the development of safe and efficient muscle regeneration.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2020

PURPOSE: This study examined the efficacy of an interferential current (IFC) treatment on the improvement of pain, disability, and quality of life in stroke patients with lumbago. METHODS: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 40 stroke patients with lumbago. The patients were allocated randomly into two groups: the IFC treatment group (n= 20) and the placebo treatment group (n= 20). The IFC group received 30 minutes of IFC treatment on the lumbar region, while the placebo group received IFC treatment but without real electrical stimulation. The intervention was administered five days a week for four weeks. The primary outcomes of pain intensity were measured using a visual analogue scale. The secondary measurements included the Barthel Index, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). RESULTS: The measurements were conducted before and after the two-week intervention period. Compared to the placebo treatment group, the IFC treatment group showed significantly greater improvement in the pain intensity (p<.05), ODI (p<.05), and SF-36 (p<.05) at the end of the intervention. No significant differences in the Barthel Index were found between the two groups. CONCLUSION: These findings show that an IFC treatment can improve pain, functional ability, and quality of life, highlighting the benefits of somatosensory stimulation from IFC in stroke patients with lumbago.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.657-664
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• 2007

Stroke patients need regular medical treatments and rehabilitation training from their doctors. However, severe aftereffects caused by stroke allow them minimum activities, which make it difficult for them to visit doctor. Recently, electric brain stimulation treatment has been found to be better way compared to conventional ones and many are interested in using this method for the treatment of stroke. In this study, we have developed a remote medical treatment system using wireless electric brain stimulator that can help the stroke patients to get a treatment without visiting their doctors. The developed remote medical treatment system connects the doctors to the brain stimulator implanted in the patients via the internet and ZigBee communication built in the brain stimulator. Also, the system receives personal information of the connected patients and cumulates the total records of electric stimulation therapy in a database. Doctors can easily access the information for better treatment planning with the help of graphical visualization tools and management software. The developed remote medical treatment system can be applied to the electric stimulation treatments for other brain diseases with a minor change.