• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.43-47
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• 2011

Purpose: The aim of this preliminary study was to use hand function tests to Hand dexterity levels provided by the type of compression garment and compression bandages in asymptomatic subjects and to collect baseline data for the comparison of hand functions in the patients with chronic arm lymphedema. Methods: The subjects of this study were 32 healthy volunteer female with a mean age of 45.8 years. Grip strength and hand functions were tested in three conditions-no compression, compression garment, and compression bandages-using the nine-hole peg test (NHPT), the box and block test (B&BT), Minnesota Manual Dexterity test (MMDT), and the hand-held Jamar dynamometer. Results: The grip strength was significantly low in the bandage condition (p<0.05). The performance in both compression groups (i.e., bandage and compression garment) decreased as the thickness of the compression material increased (p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that grip strength and hand function scores are influenced by the characteristics of the compression applied. Future study is needed to determine the level of hand function between patients with chronic arm lymphedema and healthy individuals.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.85-97
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• 2022

Purpose : This study aimed to investigate the effects of a digital pegboard training program with visual and auditory feedback on hand function and visual perception in stroke patients. Methods : Twenty two participants were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. The experimental group received training using a digital pegboard training program with visual and auditory feedback (n=11), while traditional occupational therapy was administered to the control group (n=11). Hand function was assessed before and after the intervention using the Nine-Hole Peg Test and manual function test (MFT), while visual perception was assessed using the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test-3rd edition (MVPT-3). Results : Following the intervention, both the experimental and control groups showed significant improvements in performance in the Nine-Hole Peg Test and MVPT-3 (p<.05). The improvement on both tests was significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group (p<.05). Conclusion : The results suggest that digital pegboard training with visual and auditory feedback may improve hand function and visual perception in stroke patients. Therefore, this intervention can be effective in occupational therapy to aid the recovery of stroke patients.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.273-282
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of robot-assisted hand rehabilitation(Amadeo(R)) on hand motor function in chronic stroke patients. This study used a single-subject experimental design with multiple baselines across individuals. Three chronic stroke survivors with mild to sever motor impairment took part in study. Each participants had 2 weeks interval of starting intervention. Participants received robot-assisted therapy(45min/session. 3session/wk for 6wks). Finger active range of motion(AROM) was assessed by Range of Assessment program in Amadeo(R), and test-retest reliability was verified using Pearson correlation analysis. To investigate effect of Amadeo(R), finger AROM was measured immediately after each sessions and Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper extremity, Motor Activity Log, Nine hole peg board test and Jebsen-Taylor hand motor function test were assessed at pre-post intervention. Results were analyzed by visual analysis and comparison of pre-post tests. The test-retest reliability of Range of Assessment was good(r=.99). After robot-assisted therapy, finger AROM of participant 1, 2, and 3 was respectively improved by 18%, 3.6%, and 6% each. Hand motor function of participant 1, 3 was improved on all four tests, but not effect in participant 2. Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation could improve finger AROM and effect on hand motor function in chronic stroke patients.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.646-662
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• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to confirm the effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) with transcranial direct current electrical stimulation (tDCS) on motor function improvement in stroke patients. Methods: This study was conducted on patients diagnosed with stroke more than 2 weeks but within 12 months of onset. A total of 22 patients were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received EA and tDCS treatment, while the control group received sham EA and sham tDCS treatment. Assessments were conducted using the Korean version of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (K-FMA) scores, grip and pinch strength tests, Box and Block test (BBT), Nine-hole peg test (9HPT), Berg balance scale (BBS), and the Korean version the Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) scores. Adverse events were recorded at each intervention. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed in general characteristics between the two groups. The K-FMA, BBS, and K-MBI scores of both groups increased significantly after the intervention, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. Although hand strength and dexterity improved after intervention in both groups, the changes were not statistically significant. In the experimental group, the lateral pinch score increased significantly after the intervention, but this increase was not significant compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups. All nine reported adverse reactions were minor, with no moderate or severe adverse reactions reported. Conclusion: This study confirmed the potential effectiveness and safety of EA with tDCS in improving motor function in stroke patients.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1-10
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• 2007

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the applicability of audio-visual modeling for improving the efficiency of rehabilitative programs by analyzing the effects of observing these various models on the capacity of stroke patients to perform upper limb activities. Twenty-one stroke patients participated in the experiment and were randomly assigned to either task modeling, sport modeling, or control group. During 2 weeks of intervention, subjects in all groups participated in the physical practice of experimental tasks. These tasks comprised of a Nine Hole Peg Test, the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function tests, and locomotion. These tasks were performed 5 days a week, 30 min per day. In addition to the physical practice, the task modeling group observed a model performing experimental tasks and locomotive activities for 20 min, while the sport modeling group observed a model performing various sport activities for 20 min. Subjects' ability to perform the experimental tasks was measured 3 times, before, immediately after, and 1 week after the intervention. Analyses of the capacity to perform upper extremity activities displayed significant improvement from the pre-test to immediate and delayed post-tests in all groups. However, the amount of improvement was the highest in the task modeling group. The task modeling group was superior to the control group in the post-test of all experimental tasks, whereas the sport modeling group did not display significant differences from the control group. These results suggest that audio-visual modeling can be used as an effective cognitive intervention for facilitating the rehabilitation of stroke patients, and its rehabilitative effect can be maximized when the program is comprised of performance scenes directly related to the target task.