• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.1676-1682
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term effects of lumbar rotational mobilization under the single-leg standing (SLS) position. Fifteen healthy individuals were recruited, and randomized to agroup of trunk rotational exercise (TRE) and lumbar rotational mobilization (LRM). Trunk twist rotational exercise was performed to the TRE group, and mobilization was applied to the LRM group on the lumbar spine. Velocity of the center of pressure (VCOP) and center of pressure (COP) for each participant were measured through SLS. COPs were not significantly increased or decreased after treatment in both groups. VCOPs also did not change considerably except on the right side when the eye was closed. There was no significant difference between COPs and VCOPs in two groups. This study suggests that trunk rotation exercise and lumbar rotation mobilization would have similar effects on balance ability.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.2140-2146
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• 2020

Background: Stroke patients exhibit arm global synkinesis (GS), involuntary movement due to muscle weakness and irregular muscle tension. But currently there are few studies examined the effects of GS on activates of daily living in stroke patients. Objectives: To investigate the effects the effects of task-oriented bilateral movements, which promote brain plasticity and are based on neurological theory, using the unaffected arm and the affected arm. Design: Quasi-randomized trial. Methods: Twenty stroke patients were randomly assigned to experimental group I (n=10) and experimental group II (n=10). Before the intervention, arm GS was measured using surface electromyography, and the Motor Activity Log evaluated the quantitative and qualitative uses of the affected arm in daily life. The same items were measured four weeks later. Results: The changes in the GS of the arm of experimental group I showed statistically significant differences only in bending motions (P<.05). Both groups showed statistically significant differences in the amount of use (AOU) and the quality of movement (QOM) scores (P<.01). Comparing the groups, statistically significant differences in GS appeared during bending motions (P<.05), and in the AOU (P<.01) and the QOM scores (P<.05). Conclusion: The intervention in GS reduced the abnormal muscle tension of the affected side by increasing the use of the ipsilateral motor pathway, indicating its effectiveness in improving upper limb functions with smooth contraction and relaxation of the muscles.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.2107-2112
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• 2020

Background: With the increasing elderly population, the need for gait analysis of these elderly individuals is also increasing. Most devices are costly and not portable; however, smartphones using built-in sensors capable of measuring motion and are easily available. Objectives: To examine the reliability and validity of knee joint angles of the elderly using smartphone measurements during walking. Design: Quasi-experimental research. Methods: Sixteen elderly people, aged 65+ and living in Daejeon and Chungbuk, South Korea, participated in the study. Electrogoniometers and smartphones were attached to the thigh and the side and front of the shank of each subject, respectively, using double-sided tape, an arm band, and an elastic band. Each subject completed two sets of at least seven gait cycles (14 steps). Results: Both the smartphones and electrogoniometers exhibited high agreement in terms of their primary and secondary measurements (ICC>.75). The agreement between the smartphones and electrogoniometers was also high in terms of both the primary and secondary measurements (ICC<.60). Conclusion: These results indicate that smartphones can be costly equipment cannot, even though they cannot completely replace existing clinical-grade devices. Their utility is emphasized herein for measuring knee joint angles of the elderly during walking.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.840-845
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• 2015

Improvement in functional gait is one of treatment goals in treatment of cerebral palsy children. This study intended to examine the effects of insoles for postural correction on gait in spastic cerebral palsy patients by investigating changes in gait temporal spatial parameters. As the subjects, 15 spastic bilateral cerebral palsy patients participated in this study. Temporal spatial parameters of gait were measured using GAITRite system under three gait conditions. Bare foot gait, gait in shoes, and gait in insoles for postural correction were conducted. In order to look at differences in temporal spatial parameters according to three gait conditions, repeated one way analysis of variance was conducted. As post hoc test, Bonferroni was conducted. A significant level was set at ${\alpha}=.05$. According to the result of this study, gait velocity, cadence, step length, stride length of the left lower extremity significantly changed. When the subjects put on customized insoles for postural correction, the effect was greatest. There were no significant changes in stance time, single support time, double support time, swing % of gait, and stance % of cycle. Therefore, gait with insoles for postural correction positively influenced functional gait improvement and will be able to be usefully employed for spastic cerebral palsy children as one of gait assistance devices.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.2308-2313
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• 2021

Background: Although the scapular posterior tilt movement could facilitate the lower trapezius (LT) muscle activity, no study identified the effects of the scapular posterior tilt movement on the selective activation of the LT muscle during prone shoulder extension. Objectives: To examine the influences of additional scapular posterior tilt on electromyography (EMG) of the upper trapezius (UT) and the LT muscles during prone shoulder extension. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: There were 15 asymptomatic male participants in this study who performed prone shoulder extension with and without scapular posterior tilt movements. For the scapular posterior tilt movements, participants performed visual biofeedback training for scapular movement using motion sensor. During the exercises, the EMG activity of the UT and LT was recorded using surface EMG system. Results: The EMG activity of the LT significantly increased during prone shoulder extension with scapular posterior tilt compared to that of general prone shoulder extension, whereas that of the UT was not significantly different between the two exercises. Moreover, scapular posterior tilt application significantly decreased UT/LT muscle activity ratio. Conclusion: Scapular posterior tilt movement may be emphasized during exercise when facilitating LT muscle activation.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.2370-2374
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• 2021

Background: Masticating is an activity that is free from temporal or spatial constraints, with an advantage that it can be combined easily with other treatment methods. While several studies have reported a positive effect of the intervention of chewing using the jaw on postural stability, only a few studies were conducted on stroke patients. Objectives: To investigated the effects of masticating chewing gum on the static and dynamic balancing of stroke patients. Design: Randomized cross-over study design. Methods: Nineteen stroke patients were randomly assigned to the chewing group or control group. BT4 was used to measure the static and dynamic balancing abilities. Pre-test measurements were taken before mastication of chewing gum, and post-test measurements were taken after 2 days. The stroke patients in the chewing group were guided to sit on a chair and chew gum for 3 min, and their balancing abilities were simultaneously measured. The balancing abilities of the control group patients were measured while they sat at rest without masticating chewing gum. Results: The chewing group showed significant increases in the measures of static balance (i.e., C90 area, trace length, X mean, and Y mean). In the between-group comparison, the measures of static balance were significantly higher in the chewing group than in the control group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that masticating chewing gum enhanced the static balancing ability of stroke patients. Thus, gum chewing should be considered a viable clinical intervention to control posture in stroke patients.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.2229-2236
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• 2020

Background: Few comparative studies have been conducted on strengthening the anterior and posterior muscles of the trunk via lumbar stabilization exercises. Objectives: To compare the effects of forward leaning exercise and supine bridging exercise in stability exercise. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial (single blind). Methods: Thirty subjects with spondylolisthesis were participated in this study. Fifteen subjects performed the bridging exercises and fifteen subjects performed the forward leaning exercises. Each exercise was held for ten seconds per repetition, and four repetitions were considered one sub-session. A total of four sub-sessions were performed in one full exercise session. The full exercise session required thirty minutes, including rest time. Trunk strength and range of motion and Oswestry disability index were measured. Results: Two weeks later, trunk flexion strength and trunk extension range of motion were significantly increased in the forward leaning exercise group than in the supine bridging group, trunk extension strength were significantly increased in the supine bridging exercise group than in the forward leaning group. After two weeks, the pain score was significantly lower in the forward leaning exercise group than in the supine bridging group. Conclusion: This study has shown that stabilization exercises are effective in increasing range of motion and strength in spondylolisthesis subjects. It was especially confirmed that the method of strengthening the anterior muscles of the trunk is more effective than the standard stabilization exercise method.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.1873-1878
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• 2019

Background: Walking is a complex activity. The main components of walking include balance, coordination, and symmetrical posture. The characteristics of walking patterns of stroke patients include slow walking, measured by gait cycle and walking speed. This is an important factor that reflects post-stroke quality of life and walking ability. Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of deep lumbar muscle stabilization exercise on the spatiotemporal walking ability of stroke patients. Design: Quasi-experial study Methods: The experiment was conducted 5 times per week for 4 weeks, with 30 minutes per session, on 10 subjects in the experimental group who performed the deep lumbar muscle stabilization exercise and 10 subjects in the control group who performed a regular exercise. Variables that represent the spatiotemporal walking ability (step length, stride length, step rate, and walking speed) were measured using GAITRrite before and after the experiment and were analyzed. Results: There was a significant difference in the pre- and post-exercise spatiotemporal walking ability between the two groups (p<.05). Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the step rate and walking speed between the two groups (p<.05). Conclusions: Deep lumbar muscle stabilization exercise is effective in improving the walking ability of stroke patients. Therefore, its application will help improve the spatiotemporal walking ability of stroke patients.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.949-955
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• 2016

The purpose of the study was to investigate effects of Low intensity cardiac rehabilitation, using a treadmill, on the myocardial structure. We identified the effects by analyzing changes in the rats' weights and the results of biopsies. Twenty Sprague-Dawley male rats, 50 weeks old, were randomly divided into the exercise group and the control group. myocardial infarction(MI) was induced by ligaturing their left anterior descending artery. After the acute MI induction, two rats of each group began to fall dead, therefore, eight of each group completed at the end of the experiment. We used treadmills for animals for the exercise group. This exercise group performed 30 minutes of exercise five times per week for six weeks, while the control group did not perform any exercise. No statistically significant differences in weight were found in within group comparison and between group comparison. Furthermore, we observed histological changes in the myocardium using Hematoxylin & Eosin and Masson's trichrome staining in both groups. Low-intensity exercise inhibited myocardial fibrosis, may serve as a reference in the cardiopulmonary field, which plays a role in rehabilitating patients with cardiac disorders, including acute MI.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.2102-2106
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• 2020

Background: Static hamstring stretching exercises have been widely used to improve flexibility of the hamstring muscles. However, few studies have examined the influence of standing static hamstring stretching (e.g., jack-knife stretching) on movements of the lumbopelvic-hip complex. Objectives: To examine the short-term effects of jack-knife stretching on movements of the lumbopelvic-hip complex. Design: Case series. Methods: Fourteen participants with hamstring tightness (8 male, 6 female) were recruited. Participants performed jack-knife stretching for 150 s. Before and after stretching, participants performed the finger-to-floor distance (FFD), sit and reach (SRT), active knee extension (AKE), passive straight leg raising (PSLA), and active straight leg raising (ASLR) tests as well as pelvic tilt while standing to identify the effects of stretching. Results: There were significant improvements in the FFD, SRT, AKE, PSLA, and ASLR tests after stretching. However, pelvic tilt angle while standing did not significantly change. Conclusion: Jack-knife stretching can be a useful exercise to improve flexibility of the hamstring muscles, but not pelvic alignment while standing.