• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.79-87
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• 2020

PURPOSE: Physical therapists are always exposed to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Although kinesio taping can support the joints and assist movement, studies of the effects of kinesio taping on these physical therapists are lacking. This study examined the effects of Kinesio-taping on pain, grip strength, range of motion and daily living skills in physical therapists with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Pain was measured using a 100 mm VAS. The grip strength was measured using a handgrip dynamometer. The range of joint motion was measured using a goniometer. Living skills were measured by patient-rated wrist evaluation. METHODS: Twenty physical therapists with wrist pain (Kinesio taping: n = 10, Sham taping: n = 10) received taping for each group, and measured the pain, grip strength, range of motion and daily living skills before (Baseline) and after taping (Nine hours). RESULTS: All data were analyzed using Repeated Measure ANOVA (p < .05). In the Kinesio group, resting pain (-14.9), movement pain (-20.5), and daily living skills (-9.55) were improved significantly compared to the baseline (p < .05). The grip strength and range of motion were not changed (p > .05). The sham group showed no significant change in all variables (p > .05). CONCLUSION: Physical therapists with work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the wrist should apply kinesiotaping to improve the occupational tasks.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.92-103
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to identify factors affecting the quality of life of the elderly people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Methods: The data were collected from 307 older adults aged 65 years or older with chronic musculoskeletal pain, who visited senior welfare centers in two cities. We used self-rated questionnaires including NRS for pain, WHOQOL-BREF for quality of life, Pain Response Inventory for coping responses to pain, and MSPSS for social support. Stepwise multiple regression analysis were performed using SPSS/WIN 23.0 to identify factors affecting the study subjects' quality of life. Results: The regression model explained 43% of quality of life, which was statistically significant (F=34.11, p<.001). Educational level of high school (${\beta}=.13$, p=.006), pain (${\beta}=-.13$, p=.013), restriction of function (${\beta}=-.13$, p=.028), accommodative pain coping (${\beta}=.24$, p<.001), family support (${\beta}=.18$, p<.001), colleague's support (${\beta}=.25$, p<.001), and perceived health status (${\beta}=.25$, p<.001) were identified as influential factors on subjects' quality of life. Conclusion: Developing integrative interventions is necessary to improve accommodative pain coping skills and to engage family and colleague in support for positive perception of older adults' health status and management of symptoms.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.135-148
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• 2023

Objectives To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of post-disaster musculoskeletal pain by reviewing relevant clinical studies. Methods A systematic search was conducted across 10 electronic databases to identify relevant clinical studies on acupuncture treatment for post-disaster musculoskeletal pain until May 2023. The methodological quality was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 and Risk of Bias Assessment tool for non-randomized studies tools. Results Six articles were analyzed, including two randomized controlled trials (RCTs), two before-after studies, one qualitative research, and one case series. Overall, acupuncture therapy showed some improvement in pain scale among musculoskeletal pain survivors. However, no significant improvement was observed in the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2). Subgroup analysis of participants who completed at least four acupuncture sessions revealed a significant effect on the SFMPQ-2. Additionally, a significant improvement in 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF36P) was observed after 6 months of treatment, but the 2-month treatment period did not show statistically significant effects on SF-36P improvement. The evaluation of the methodological quality of the RCTs identified some concerns of bias. Conclusions The results suggest that acupuncture is effective in alleviating post-disaster musculoskeletal pain. However, considering the limited number of selected studies and the inclusion of subjective evaluation measures, caution should be exercised in interpreting the results. Further large-scale follow-up studies are needed to determine the optimal frequency and duration of acupuncture treatment. Well-designed controlled trials should be conducted to provide more robust evidence regarding the effectiveness of acupuncture for post-disaster musculoskeletal pain.

• The Korean Nurse
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.88-99
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• 1997

Applying effective coping strategies and reducing powerlessness for the chronic pain adjustment of musculoskeletal patients were researched for basic data in the development of nursing intervention. The subjects were 99 musculoskeletal patients with chronic pain. Data was gathered with direct interview using a questionnaire. With the SAS tool. data were analyzed for percentage. Pearson correlation. t-test. and ANOVA according to characteristics of variables. Internal consistency(alpha) coefficients were .91 for coping scales and .71 for powerlessness scales. The results are as follows: 1. Pain duration was mainly 6 - 12 months(52. 5%). 2. Primary pain site was mainly lower limbs(58.6%) and pain severity was a moderate level. 3. The preference of coping strategies was decreased in the order named in resting. seeking social support. exercise or stretch. guarding. and asking for assistance. 4. The longer pain duration. the more the coping strategies of asking assistance used. This was stastically significant(F=3. 35. p<.05). 5. The group with the experience of hospital admission was more powerless than the group without that(F=3. as. p<.01). 6. Pain severity and powerlessness were significantly positively correlated(r=.444. p<.001). Coping strategy applying and powerlessness were significantly negatively correlated(r=-. 288. p<.01). In consequence. the nurse should playa role as the supporter of patient's maximal usage of his resources in pain relief. adjustment, and control. The nurses should also develop for the nursing intervention of physical therapy and educational programs.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.405-422
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• 2010

Occupational musculoskeletal disorders currently account for the largest proportion of the occupational illnesses in Korea. In this research, status of musculoskeletal disorders among the occupational illnesses was examined through workers' compensation claims data. Types and characteristics of musculoskeletal disorders were looked at other data set as well. The data sets included epidemiological investigation data reported by Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, and data collected from occupational disease surveillance reports and Korean occupational health-related scientific journals. Number of cases, incidence rate and insurance benefits for occupational musculoskeletal disorders in Korea are increasing every year. In addition, musculoskeletal disorders occurrence is shifted from large enterprises group to small-and-medium group, from manufacturing to service sector, and from production workers to office and professional workers. Although low back pain is still most common, its occurrence characteristics is gradually shifted from traumatic to cumulative while musculoskeletal disorders are somewhat seemingly moved from lumbar to upper limb body part. Musculoskeletal disorders were observed to be more diverse and prevalent in epidemiological investigations or surveillance data rather in workers' compensation claims data. Musculoskeletal disorders occurrence is related to demographic factors, occupational psychosocial factors, and ergonomic risk factors at workplace for which appropriate preventive measures needed to be made accordingly.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.203-209
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• 2014

Background: Coal mining is of significant economic importance to the Australian economy. Despite this fact, the related workforce is subjected to a number of psychosocial risks and musculoskeletal injury, and various psychological disorders are common among this population group. Because only limited research has been conducted in this population group, we sought to examine the relationship between physical (pain) and psychological (distress) factors, as well as the effects of various demographic, lifestyle, and fatigue indicators on this relationship. Methods: Coal miners (N = 231) participated in a survey of musculoskeletal pain and distress on-site during their work shifts. Participants also provided demographic information (job type, age, experience in the industry, and body mass index) and responded to questions about exercise and sleep quality (on-and off-shift) as well as physical and mental tiredness after work. Results: A total of 177 workers (80.5%) reported experiencing pain in at least one region of their body. The majority of the sample population (61.9%) was classified as having low-level distress, 28.4% had scores indicating mild to moderate distress, and 9.6% had scores indicating high levels of distress. Both number of pain regions and job type (being an operator) significantly predicted distress. Higher distress score was also associated with greater absenteeism in workers who reported lower back pain. In addition, perceived sleep quality during work periods partially mediated the relationship between pain and distress. Conclusion: The study findings support the existence of widespread musculoskeletal pain among the coal-mining workforce, and this pain is associated with increased psychological distress. Operators (truck drivers) and workers reporting poor sleep quality during work periods are most likely to report increased distress, which highlights the importance of supporting the mining workforce for sustained productivity.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-3
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• 2022

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of exercise programs according to various music tempo on pain, posture, and function of automobile parts manufacturing workers. Design: Two-group pretest-posttest design. Methods: This study was an exercise program tailored to the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases were performed for a total of 4 weeks and 3 times a week for 60 minutes. The exercise program consisted of customized exercises according to the characteristics of the subject's musculoskeletal system. The subject provided music during the exercise program, and the group who applied the fast tempo music listened to the music of 120~140 bpm, and the group who applied the slow tempo music listened to the music of the low tempo of 60~80 bpm. Results: Significant differences were found in pain and physical function before and after the fast tempo music group and the slow tempo music group (p<0.01). However, there was a significant difference in posture characteristics only in the fast tempo music group (p<0.01). In terms of pain, physical function, and posture characteristics, the fast tempo music group showed significant improvement compared to the slow music tempo group (p<0.05). Conclusions: A customized exercise program using fast-tempo music and slow-tempo music to workers in the automobile parts manufacturing industry, significant differences in pain, physical function, and posture characteristics applied with fast-tempo music were found. In the future, applying an exercise program with a fast tempo is expected to help improve musculoskeletal disorders.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.274-276
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• 2016

Chronic pelvic pain in women is a very annoying condition that is responsible for substantial suffering and medical expense. But dealing with this pain can be tough, because there are numerous possible causes for the pelvic pain such as urologic, gynecologic, gastrointestinal, neurologic, or musculoskeletal problems. Of these, musculoskeletal problem may be a primary cause of chronic pelvic pain in patients with a preceding trauma to the low back, pelvis, or lower extremities. Here, we report the case of a 54-year-old female patient with severe chronic pelvic pain after a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) accident that was successfully managed with image-guided trigger point injections on several pelvic stabilizing muscles.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 2024

The application of ultrasound (US) in pain medicine has been a rapidly growing field since the 2000s. Musculoskeletal injections, peripheral nerve blocks, and neuraxial injections under US guidance have been acknowledged for managing chronic pain. Although many studies on US-guided pain procedures have been published, there needs to be a classification system to evaluate which image device, the US or fluoroscopy, is clinically and technically better in various pain interventions. Therefore, this narrative review introduces the classification system for the US-guided pain procedures according to their clinical and technical outcomes and designates US-guided pain procedures into one of the four categories by reviewing previous prospective randomized comparative trials.