• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.1046-1050
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of strengthening and stretching exercises on forward head angle and static dynamic balance ability. 21 adults with the forward head posture were participated in this study. Subjects were randomly assigned to strengthening exercise group I(n=11) and stretching exercise group II (n=10) respectively. Each group were underwent six intervention over the period of 2 weeks, each session lasting 30 minutes. During a preliminary examination, forward head angle and static dynamic balance were measured, and a post examination was conducted that involved same procedure as preliminary examination. There were significant differences in forward head angle after exercise in both groups. In the strengthening group, center of gravity total sway distances was significantly changed under all conditions. In the stretching group, center of gravity total sway distances was significantly changed when subjects had their eyes open while standing on an foam surface. There were significant changes in center of gravity sway velocities in the strengthening group under all conditions, and the same was true in the stretching group only when the subjects had their eyes open while standing on an foam surface. In the comparison between groups, eyes closed while standing on a firm surface was significantly different. There was a significant difference in dynamic balance of the stretching group when the subjects tilted their bodies forward, and there was a statistically significant difference between groups under the same condition. The results of this study suggest that forward head posture can be corrected through therapeutic exercise, and muscle strengthening exercise more effective in improving static balance of forward head posture more than stretching exercise.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.521-528
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• 2009

This study is about to evaluation of postural stability according to characteristics of electrical stimulation on the ankle muscles. We measured body sway(center of pressure, COP) when various parameters of electrical stimulation was applied to ankle muscles in stable and unstable posture. Subjects consisted of 10 young adults, and electrical stimulation was delivered on right and left of tibialis anterior and Achilles tendon. The body sway was measured during electrical stimulation of three duty cycle and frequencies in stable posture and three amplitudes of sensory threshold in unstable posture. Consequently, the COP Shift is higher during electrical stimulation of 1/30(duty ratio) and 100Hz(frequency) in stable posture. In unstable posture, 100% amplitude of sensory threshold induced postural stability. These findings are important for the rehabilitation system of postural stability and the use of electrical stimulation as somatosensory information.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2012

Purpose : This study was somatosensory less in patients with idiopathic scoliosis somatosensory input to the lumbar stabilization exercises carried out to determine the most effective treatment method to be stable and unstable in terms of supporting the lumbar stabilization exercises the patient's torso length and postural sway by comparing the distance from a standing position and looked for differences in effect on the balance. Methods : The subjects of the study were 18 patients who showed the symptom of scoliosis. The study classified the patients into two experimental groups, one using an unstable surface and one a fixed surface, and the patients were required to do a lumbar stabilization exercise a total of 12 times for 60 minutes per session, three times a week for four weeks. The study carried out a paired comparison t-test so as to compare differences between measurement values in each experimental group before and after the exercise. Results : Superior iliac spine on the left, there was a significant reduction in the group doing the lumbar stabilization exercise on an unstable surface (p<0.05). Regarding change in sway distance to the left and right directions in the group doing the lumbar stabilization exercise on the unstable surface, there was a significant decrease in both the condition of closed eyes or open eyes (p<0.05). As for change in sway distance in forward-and-backward direction, there was a significant reduction in the condition of either closed eyes or open eyes (p<0.05). Conclusion : The lumbar stabilization exercise on an unstable surface improved the trunk posture of patients with scoliosis symmetrically, and the static balance ability in a standing posture was discovered to be improved. In the future, the lumbar stabilization exercise on an unstable surface may be used as a posture correction and balance increase exercise for patients with scoliosis.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.38-44
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• 2010

We investigated the effects of trunk twist on postural stability during manually handling flat ties. Ten male subjects participated in this study. While handling 5kgf and 10kgf bundles of flat ties respectively, their centers of pressure (COPs) were measured under two levels of body position (twisted and fixed), two levels of direction (left and right), and three levels of object position ($30^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$, and $60^{\circ}$). Subjects' postural stability was quantified by calculating the sway length. Results showed that the effect of different object position was significant on postural sway length in subject's medio-lateral axis. Post-hoc multiple comparions revealed that, under the 5kgf load condition, the sway length was increased significantly as the object position increased to $45^{\circ}$. Under the 10kgf load condition, however, the sway length was increased significantly at the object position of $60^{\circ}$. Actual or potential applications of this research include guidelines for the design of working posture evaluation techniques.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.1-15
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• 2006

Loss of postural balance can possibly lead to increased risk of slips and falls in work places. Present study was performed to investigate the effects of noisy environments on postural stability during standing. It is known that a sound is characterized by the frequency and pressure level of the sound. Therefore, effects of the frequency and pressure level on postural stability were of primary concern. Ten male subjects participated in the experiment. Subject's center of pressure(COP) position was collected on a force plate while they were exposed to different frequency and pressure levels of the sound. Measured COP was then converted into the length of postural sway path in both anterior-posterior(AP) and medio-lateral(ML) axis. Results showed that the length of sway path in AP axis was significantly affected by the frequency of sound. The length of sway path was lowest at frequency level of 2000Hz and increased below and above this frequency range. The sound pressure level, however, did not significantly affect the postural sway length in both AP and ML axis. The results imply that industrial workers in noisy environments should be aware that their abilities of postural balance can be disturbed significantly.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.126-132
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• 2020

Background: Augmented somatosensory feedback stimulates the mechanoreceptor to deliver information on bodily position, improving the postural control. The various types of such feedback include ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) and vibration. The optimal feedback to mitigate postural sway remains unclear, as does the effect of augmented somatosensory feedback on muscle co-contraction. Objects: We compared postural sway and ankle muscle co-contraction without feedback (control) and with either of two forms of somatosensory feedback (AFOs and vibration). Methods: We recruited 15 healthy subjects and tested them under three feedback conditions (control, AFOs, vibration) with two sensory conditions (eyes open, or eyes closed and the head tilted back), in random order. Postural sway was measured using a force platform; the mean sway area of the 95% confidence ellipse (AREA) and the mean velocity of the center-of-pressure displacement (VEL) were assessed. Co-contraction of the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles was measured using electromyography and converted into a co-contraction index (CI). Results: We found significant main effects of the three feedback states on postural sway (AREA, VEL) and the CI. The two sensory conditions exerted significant main effects on postural sway (AREA and VEL). AFOs reduced postural sway to a level significantly lower than that of the control (p = 0.014, p < 0.001) or that afforded by vibration (p = 0.024, p < 0.001). In terms of CI amelioration, the AFOs condition was significantly better than the control (p = 0.004). Vibration did not significantly improve either postural sway or the CI compared to the control condition. There was no significant interaction effect between the three feedback conditions and the two sensory conditions. Conclusion: Lower-extremity devices such as AFOs enhance somatosensory perception, improving postural control and decreasing the CI during static standing.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.217-223
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of postural sway on the kinematic variables of the putter head during golf putting and to provide information to the importance of postural sway control in the putting stroke for novice golfers. Method: The center of pressure (CoP) and Kinematics variables of the putter head were calculated during 2 m flat golf putting using 8 motion capture cameras (250 Hz) and 2 force plate (1,000 Hz). SPSS 24.0 was used to perform Pearson's correlation coefficient and simple regression analysis, and the statistically significance level was set to .05. Results: As a result of analyzing the correlation between CoP variables and the putter head rotation angle, the CoP moving length, CoP moving range (ML direction), and CoP moving velocity (ML direction) showed a positive correlation with the putter head rotation angle (yaw axis) and were statistically significant. Conclusion: Therefore, In order to perform the accurate putting stroke maintaining the ball's directionality, it is determined that it is important to control posture sway in the ML directions by minimizing the movement and velocity of the CoP.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.628-635
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• 2007

We studied the effect of vibratory stimulations of different leg muscles, tibialis anterior(TA) and triceps surae(TS), and plantar zones in ten healthy subjects during 1) quiet standing, 2) forward lean of body, 3) backward lean of body, 4) right lean of body, and 5) left lean of body. The experiments were performed on the force platform. The effect of vibration were measured by monitoring the area of COP(Center of pressure) sway. The subjects wore a vibratory stimulation system on foot and ankles and were given the instruction not to resist against the applied perturbations. The results show that all vibratory stimulations to lower limb muscles and plantar zones reduced the COP sway area. This reduction of the COP sway area occurred also in partial vibratory stimulations during quiet standing. In forward lean of body, vibratory stimulations to TA reduced the COP sway area. During backward lean of body, vibratory stimulations to TS reduced the COP sway area. When the subject was tilted right, vibratory stimulations to left plantar zone reduced the COP sway area. During left lean of body, vibratory stimulations to right plantar zone reduced the COP sway area. Thus, the influence of vibratory stimulations to leg muscle and plantar zones differed significantly depending on the lean of body. We suggest that the vibration stimuli from leg muscles and plantar zones could be selectively used to help maintaining postural balance stable.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.3-9
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• 1986

This research is aimed at examining age-related changes of postural sway when people stand upright, examining external effects which can be exerted upon the postural sway (experiment 1), and also analyzing specific changing characters of posture-control by sudden impacts (experiment 2). The total number of subjects was 115, who are in twenties through seventies and 75 of them were participated in experiment 2. In experimen 1, the subjects were examined for 25 seconds respectively while standing upright with both feet and with eyes opened, standing upright with both feet and with eyes closed, and standing upright with a single foot and with eyes opened. In experiment 2, only while standing upright with both feet and with eyes opened they were examined for 5 seconds. Main findings were as follows: 1. In the single-foot standing position, the growing older exerted more important effects upon the fluctuation length and area of the center of gravity than in the both-foot standing position. 2. The standard deviation was increasing with age in the fluctuation length and the fluctuation area of the center of gravity. 3. There were no significant differences in daily variation, temperature change, and muscle burdening. 4. The recuperation from the postural sway by external impacts was so slow with age. 5. There were little differences in decrease frequencies among the subjects but younger persons.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.321-325
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• 2022

Purpose: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a condition defined as pain and dysfunction of temporomandibular joints and masticatory muscles. Abnormal interconnections between temporomandibular muscles and cervical spine structures can cause the changes of postural alignment and balance ability. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in static balance ability in subjects with painrelated TMD. Methods: This study conducted on 25 subjects with TMD and 25 control subjects with no TMD. Pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) of the masseter and temporalis muscles were measured using a pressure algometer. Static balance ability was assessed during one leg standing using an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor. During balance task, the IMU sensors measured motion and transfer movement data for center of mass (COM) motion, ankle sway and hip sway. Results: PPTs of masseter and temporalis muscles were significantly lower in the TMD group than in the control group (p<0.05). One leg standing, hip sway, and COM sway results were significantly greater in the TMD group (p<0.05), but ankle sways were not different between group. Conclusion: We suggest pain-related TMD is positively related to reduced PPTs of masticatory muscles and to static balance ability. These results should be considered together with global body posture when evaluating or treating pain-related TMD.