• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.13-16
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• 2012

Objective: Electroencephalogram (EGG)-feedback is a training procedure aimed at altering brain activity, and is used as a treatment for disorders like attention. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of external focus of attention by EGG-feedback on balance in young adults. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Subject were students in Sahmyook University. Fifty young adults in their twenties and thirties. Subjects were performed both with and without external focus of attention by EEG-feedback on the posture of standing and tandem standing. Participants were educated effort to maintain static posture when they were under internal focus of attention. Good Balance System was used for measurement of postural consistency upon the following force platforms. Results: Body sway decreased significantly both normal standing and tandem standing with external focus of attention by EEG-feedback (p<0.05). Conclusions: The results demonstrate that the benefits of an external attentional focus are generalizable to young adults. The external focus of attention outperformed the internal focus of attention on the postural balance (p<0.05). It is showed that external focus of attention significant effects on balance by revoked automatic postural control of movement. Furthermore balance might be improved by training with an external focus. Further study is required to develop for training as a method of preventing fall in elderly peoples.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.239-247
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• 2014

The CTSIB (Clinical Test of Sensory Integration on Balance) using high sensitive pressure sensors is normally used to assess the sense of balance in hospital. It takes an objective measurement of the amount of sway that occurs in the body trunk by observing the change in the center of pressure (CoP) on the foot at the upright posture. In this paper, we would like to propose method to easily measure trunk sway in home. Although the Wii balance board(WBB) is used for games, it can measures the center of pressure, which is highly correlated. The Wii remote controller(WRC) is inexpensive compared to the WBB, but it has problems with estimation of trunk sway because it can't measure pressure directly like WBB. We collected data from 10 normal subjects (5 males, 5 females) from two devices in order to compare the CoP from WBB and the center of mass (CoM) from WRC. The results of WRC and WBB was similar when the data were analyzed by the convex hull and ellipse area.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.1211-1214
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• 2004

High-heeled women have been identified with balance control problems. The purposes of this study were to objectively quantify the displacements and velocities of center-of-pressure (COP) of body during waist pulling and to compare the differences between barefooted and high-heeled situations. We used a waist pulling system which has three different magnitudes to sway the subjects. We found that the kinematic information of barefooted and high-heeled women's COP is very important in understanding the mechanism of postural balance control of women in every-day life. In the high-heeled's case, the displacement of COP increases in 200％ as against bare footed. Also the velocity variation of COP grows three times than the bare footed. COP analysis in postural balance study of high-heeled women is also considered useful in development of the safety systems that prevent high-heeled women from falling

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.133-139
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• 2016

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of balance training on a three-dimensional balance trainer that provides the up-and-down vertical movement of the knee joint and left-and-right horizontal movement, along with visual feedback on the functional ability of children with spastic cerebral palsy (CPs). METHODS: 8 CPs participated in this study. The experiment was implemented for 40 minutes, three times a week for a total of six weeks. The subjects received general physiotherapy for 15 minutes in each session focused on balance and walking, as based on the neuro-developmental treatment theory. Balance training was performed for 20 minutes on a three-dimensional balance trainer where knee joint movement providing visual feedback is applied. The evaluations were conducted before and after the test, and posture sway was measured using 10 Meter Walking Test (10MWT), Timed Up & Go Test (TUG), and the Good Balance System to evaluate the functional ability and balance of the subjects RESULTS: 10MWT was not statistically significant (p>.05). On the contrary, TUG and postural sway indicate static balance showed a statistically significant decrease (p<.05). In a static balance test using the Good Balance System, the average moving speed statistically significantly decreased in the AP and ML directions (p<.05), and the mean velocity moment also significantly decreased (p<.05). CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that balance training using the three-dimensional balance trainer, with the features of visual feedback and up-and-down knee joint movement effects on increasing dynamic and static balance.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.70-75
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of static and dynamic balance control ability according to the stability of shoes in elderly woman and female university student. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Six elderly women and seven female university students were recruited for this study. The subject's static and dynamic balance were evaluated while wearing two different types of shoes (comfortable running shoe and masai walking shoe). The BT4 system was used to measure the static (postural sway area and velocity) and dynamic balance (limit of stability on forward, backward and left and right side). The measurement of static and dynamic balance control ability was performed in standing posture wearing comfortable running shoes and masai walking shoes. Results: In the static balance control ability, both female university students and elderly women showed significant increase in postural sway area and velocity when wearing unstable shoes (p<0.05) In addition, in the dynamic balance control ability, both female university students and elderly women showed significant decrease in limit of stability on forward and backward when wearing unstable shoes (p<0.05). Conclusion: In selecting shoes for the elderly, the stability of shoe should be considered for prevention of falls.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.54-59
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• 2017

Background: Light touch cue is a sensory input that could potentially help in the control of posture. The immediate stimulatory effect of light touch cues using a cane during gait is associated with postural stability. This strategy can help post-stroke individuals regain their ability to perform the sit-to-stand (STS) transfer safely. Objects: The effects of light grip on postural control during the STS transfer in post-stroke subjects were investigated. Methods: Eleven participants (6 men, 5 women) with hemiplegia due to stroke were recruited in the study. The subjects with hemiparesis performed STS transfer in three randomly assigned conditions (1) without a cane (2) light grip with a cane (3) strong grip with a cane. Results: The difference in weight-bearing distribution between the left and right feet, when the subjects were instructed to stand up, was $52.73{\pm}2.13%$ without a cane, $42.75{\pm}3.26%$ with a strong grip, and $43.00{\pm}2.55%$ with a light grip (p<.05). The rate of rise in force indicates the peak power provided by subjects during their STS transfers. The rate of rise in force was statistically significantly lower without a cane than that with a light grip or a strong grip (p<.05). The subjects' centers of pressure sway on the mediolateral side during STS transfers statistically significantly declined with a light grip or a strong grip when compared to those without a cane (p<.05). Conclusion: When the subjects with hemiparesis used a cane during STS transfers, their duration, center of pressure sway, and difference in weight-bearing distribution were all reduced. The subjects also exhibited similar results during STS transfers with a cane gripped lightly. This result may provide guidelines for the use of assistive devices when patients with hemiparesis practice STS transfers in clinical settings.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.35-55
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to analyze the somatotypes of women in the early 20's, which were likely to deform due to bad posture in growth period. Accordingly, bodies of women aged 20 to 24, whose growth stopped, were measured directly and indirectly, and factors related to body shapes were extracted, body shapes were categorized based on the data, and the characteristics of each body shape were analyzed. As a result, 10 factors related to body shapes were extracted in the factor analysis, and body shapes were categorized into 6 types. Type 1 was the volume of body that was big and the longest; and the general frame was large. The straight body shape with small back protrusion; the shoulder is relatively thick and the width of the shoulder was normal. Type 2 was the volume of body that was the biggest and the upper body was the longest; the general frame was of average height. The forward body shape with the back flat; the shoulder was very thick, wide, and serious leaning forward. Type 3 was a body that was thin and the shortest. The sway-back body shape with big curvature at the back; the shoulder was thin, narrow, and straight. Type 4 was a body that was short stature, and the general frame was of average build. The forward body shape with the most serious back protrusion; the shoulder was normally thick, narrow, and straight. Type 5 was a group with small body, and the lower body and general frame are long. The sway-back body shape with protrusion at the upper shoulder and the sides leaning backward; the shoulder was thin, wide, and leaning forward. Type 6 was a thin and short body; and the general frame was small. The lean-back body shape with the smallest back protrusion and leaning backward; the shoulder was thin, narrow, and leaning backward. Characteristics of the classified body shapes can be used in producing ready-made clothes, and it is hoped that there will be follow-up studies on clothing pattern design and production based on this result.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.353-360
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to measure static balance of low back pain patients while one-leg standing in abdominal compression belts. Methods: The study included 40 adult males and females at J university, divided into a low back pain patient group and a normal group through the Oswestry disability questionnaire (ODQ). The subjects were instructed to hold a one-leg standing posture for 15 seconds on a balance measurement plate while wearing an abdominal compression belt. Shifting distance (0.1 cm), mean velocity (cm/s), pressure, and contact area were analyzed using BioRescue (BioRescue, RMINGEIEIRIE, Rodez, France). The average value was used to measure the result 3 times for each condition. Results: Both normal and low back pain groups significantly decreased in the speed of sway while wearing the abdominal compression belt. Furthermore, the pressure of the center of motion significantly decreased in the low back pain groups while wearing abdominal compression belt. However, there were no significant differences in the speed of sway or the pressure of center of motion between groups after wearing the abdominal pressure belt. Conclusion: These results suggest that abdominal compression belts are one option for improving balance temporarily. However, balance after wearing abdominal compression vests depends on onset of back pain, age, and symptoms of pain in the groups with low back pain. Further research is needed to investigate muscle activity, dynamic balance, and the effect of the period of wearing abdominal compression belts in the variety of low back pain patients.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.134-142
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• 2012

Purpose: This study examined the effect on postural control during the stimulation of haptic touch with fingertip on the stable surface at quiet standing posture, squat flexion stage, 60 degrees squat stage and squat extension stage. Methods: The postural sway was measured on the force platform, while 30 subjects were squatting, under three different haptic touch conditions (No Touch [NT], Light Touch [LT], Heavy Touch [HT]), above the touch pad in front of their body midline. Three different haptic touch conditions were divided into 1) NT condition; squatting as right index fingers held above the touch pad, 2) LT condition (<1N); squatting as the touch pad was in contact with right index fingers pulp with a pressure not exceeding 1N and 3) HT condition; squatting as subjects were allowed to use the touch pad for mechanical support by transmitting onto it with as much force, choosing with their index fingers. Results: There was significant decrease in LT, rather than that of NT (p<0.01), and in HT, rather than that of LT (p<0.01), as the results of the distance and velocity of center of pressure (COP) in mediolateral direction at quiet standing position. In anteroposterior direction, the distance and velocity of COP in LT and HT showed significant decrease, when compared to that of the data of NT (p<0.01). There was no significant difference between the 3 conditions (NT, LT, and HT), with respect to the distance and velocity of COP in mediolateral direction, during dynamic balance (squat flexion stage, squat extension stage) (p>0.05). In anteroposterior direction, the results of the distance and velocity of COP in HT showed significant decrease when compared to that of the data of NT (p<0.05). Conclusion: Light touch, during the task, decreased the postural sway at static balance. The results suggest that haptic touch should be applied, appropriately, because it varies the effects according to different conditions.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.31-35
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• 2018

Background: Although postural instability is one of the major symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), dopaminergic treatment is ineffective for treating postural instability. Recent reports have shown that somatosensory deficit is associated with postural instability, and that somatosensory input improved postural instability. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of lateral wedges for quiet standing postural control in people with PD. Methods: Twenty-two patients who were diagnosed with PD were enrolled in this study. The participants stood on a force plate under two conditions (wedge and no wedge) with or without having their eyes open or closed. The center of pressure (COP) range and velocity were analyzed using a two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: The range and velocity of COP in the anterioposterior and mediolateral (ML) directions were significantly improved after the patients stood on the lateral wedge with their eyes closed (p < 0.05). The range in ML direction and velocity in both directions of COP were significantly decreased when their eyes were open (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Regardless of vision, standing on lateral wedges improved postural sway in people with PD.