• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.149-154
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• 2023

Objective: This study is designed to investigate the effect of ankle joint position on hip extensor muscle activity when bridging exercise in sagittal plane. Design: Cross-sectional study Methods: The subjects were recruited from 20 healthy adult men. The subjects performed three types of bridging exercises (normal bridging, ankle dorsiflexion bridging, ankle plantar flexion bridging) three times for five seconds with a rest of 15 seconds between measurements and two minutes of rest between each motion. The target muscles were the gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, soleus, and tibialis anterior. A surface electromyography was used to measure the muscle activity of these muscles. Results: The results show there was no statistically significant difference between the three types of exercise in the gluteus maximus muscle activity. However, the biceps femoris showed a significant difference between the three types of exercises (p<0.05). Conclusions: In conclusion, when the three different bridging exercises were performed by adding ankle motion to normal bridging exercise, there was a significant difference in the muscle activity of the gluteus maximus relative to the biceps femoris muscle activity in the order of the ankle dorsiflexion bridging, normal bridging, and ankle plantar flexion bridging exercise. Therefore, this could be an effective option for a bridging exercise if applied to patients with a weak gluteal muscle and shortening of the hamstring muscle in further studies.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.147-154
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• 2007

This study's purpose is to investigate the effects on leg muscle activity caused by perturbation, using a trapdoor system during the support phase of gait for healthy adults (n = 6, height $177.5{\pm}5.5cm$, weight $81.0{\pm}9.5kg$, age $30.0{\pm}3.3yrs$). The trapdoor had the functional ability of causing inversion or eversion. The release time for the trapdoor was specified for two times, 0.3 and 0.5 seconds after heel contact. While altering these variables, EMG was recorded for the leg muscles (rectus femoris, biceps femoris, vastus lateralis, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, soleus). The following conclusions were derived. The steptime was longer for the 0.5s eversion than 0.3s inversion condition. So in order to regain stability after the perturbation the unsupporting leg reached forward rapidly. This quick reflex can be observed through the center of pressure (COP) and its rapid change in direction. The gastrocnemius was activated throughout the total experiment. There was a low amount of activity recorded in the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis and tibialis anterior except for the condition of inversion 0.3s. For most of the conditions, the highest average EMG peak values were recorded during the condition of inversion 0.3s. The iEMG patterns were similar for the conditions of inversion 0.3s and eversion 0.3s. To cope with the rapid change in these conditions, the biceps femoris was activated. During the experiment except for the condition of normal gait, the activity of the soleus and gastrocnemius was relatively high. Therefore, to prevent injury from perturbation of the lower leg strengthening of the soleus and gastrocnemius is required. Likewise to prevent injury to the thigh strengthening for the biceps femoris.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.135-145
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between cognitive and motor inhibition by comparing muscle activity and ground reaction force during unplanned gait termination according to reaction time measured through the stop-signal task. Methods: Sixteen young adults performed a stop-signal task and an unplanned gait termination separately. The subjects were divided into fast and slow groups based on their stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), as measured by the stop-signal task. Electromyography (EMG) and ground reaction force (GRF) were compared between the groups during unplanned gait termination. The data for gait termination were divided into three phases (Phase 1 to 3). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare spatiotemporal gait parameters and EMG and GRF data between groups. Results: The slow group had significantly higher activity of the tibialis anterior in Phase 2 and Phase 3 than the fast group (p <0.05). In Phase 1, the fast group had significantly shorter time to peak amplitude (TPA) of the soleus than the slow group (p <0.05). In Phase 2, the TPA of the tibialis anterior was significantly lower in the fast group than the slow group (p <0.05). In Phase 3, there was no significant difference in the GRF between the two groups (p >0.05). There were no significant difference between the two groups in the spatiotemporal gait parameters (p >0.05). Conclusion: Compared to the slow group, the fast group with cognitive inhibition suppressed muscle activity for unplanned gait termination. The association between SSRT and unplanned gait termination shows that a participant's ability to suppress an incipient finger response is relevant to their ability to construct a corrective gait pattern in a choice-demanding environment.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.397-405
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• 2020

The purpose of study was to compare respiratory function and quadriceps muscle activity in stroke patients by applying inspiratory muscle training combined with whole body vibration. In addition, the purpose of study is to present an exercise method for improving the respiratory function of stroke patients and the function of the lower limb muscles of stroke patients. Totally, 21 patients with Stroke patients were randomly assigned to two groups through clinical sampling. 11 patients who applied whole body vibration combined with respiratory exercise were randomly assigned to Experiment Group I, and 10 patients who applied placebo exercise combined with breathing exercise were randomly assigned to Experiment Group II. And for 5 weeks, 4 days/week, 1 time/day, 4 sets/1 time intervention program was implemented. Before intervention, the respiratory function was measured with a maximum inspiratory pressure meter, the lower extremity muscle activity was measured using the surface EMG, and the balance ability was measured using a bug balance test. And after 5 weeks, the post-test was re-measured and analyzed in the same way as the pre-test. In the comparison of changes within the group of experimental group I, there were significant differences in the activity and balance of the respiratory muscle strength, the biceps femoris, and the anterior tibialis muscle (p<.05). In the comparison of the changes in the experimental group I, there was a significant difference in respiratory strength and balance (p<.05). In the comparison of changes between groups, there was a significant difference in the activity of the biceps femoris and anterior tibialis (p<.01). In the future, research on protocols for respiratory exercise and whole body vibration to improve neuromuscular function is considered to be necessary.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 2020

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ipsilateral and contralateral load changes during single-leg standing on the leg muscle activities of healthy people. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: For all the subjects, a load was randomly applied to the ipsilateral or the contralateral side. While the load was applied, the subject raised a hand and then performed single-leg standing for 10 seconds using the dominant side. Results: During single-leg standing, the muscle activity of the gluteus medius, peroneus longus on the supporting side increased statistically significantly when an upper limb load was applied contralaterally, but no statistically significant differences were detected in the muscle activities of the tibialis anterior and the gastrocnemius using a test of within-subjects effects. Conclusion: It can be seen that muscle activities increase during exercise when the amount and frequency of a load are increased and when the same load is applied to different sides of the body. Such muscle activity increases may be applied to change the intensity of exercise when one is in a static posture, such as during single-leg standing.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.63-73
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• 2021

Background: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of pressure belt during proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation sprinter pattern training using a Thera-band on leg muscle strength and gait in stroke patients with stroke. Methods: Nine patients with stroke underwent training five times a week for four weeks, and changes in the muscle strength and walking ability of the paralyzed leg before and after training were measured. Muscle strength was measured using a Digital muscle tester, and walking ability was measured using a G-WAKER and the timed up and go (TUG) test. Results: Results showed that the quadriceps, hamstring, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, cadence, stride length, and stance phase significantly increased (p<.05). The swing phase, gait cycle duration, and TUG test results significantly decreased (p<.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that a pressure belt is a very useful tool for improving muscle strength and walking ability in patients with stroke.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.31-42
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• 2012

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the psychological fatigue and analyze muscle activity of production workers who are performing processes jobs while standing for prolonged time periods. Methods: The psychological fatigue experienced by the workers was obtained through questionnaire surveys. Meanwhile, muscle activity has been analyzed using surface electromyography (sEMG) measurement. Lower extremities muscles include: erector spinae, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius were concurrently measured for more than five hours of standing. Twenty male production workers in a metal stamping company participated as subjects in this study. The subjects were required to undergo questionnaire surveys and sEMG measurement. Results: Results of the questionnaire surveys found that all subjects experienced psychological fatigue due to prolonged standing jobs. Similarly, muscle fatigue has been identified through sEMG measurement. Based on the non-parametric statistical test using the Spearman's rank order correlation, the left erector spinae obtained a moderate positive correlation and statistically significant ($r_s$ = 0.552, p < 0.05) between the results of questionnaire surveys and sEMG measurement. Conclusion: Based on this study, the authors concluded that prolonged standing was contributed to psychological fatigue and to muscle fatigue among the production workers.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.9-19
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to analyze the kinematic variables of the lower limbs joints and the muscle activity for lower limbs during the level and downhill running. The subjects were 6 males of twenties and required to run on the level and downhill which was -7% grade treadmill at 8.3km/h. The running performances were filmed by high speed video camera and EMG signal was gained by ME3000P8 Measurement Unit. Rectus femoris(RF), Vastus lateralis(VL), Gluteus medius(GLU), Biceps femoris(BF), gastrocnemius medial head(GM), gastrocnemius lateral head(GL), Soleus(SO), Tibialis anterior(TA) were selected. The result of this study were as follows: 1. Ankle, knee, hip joint in downhill running showed less movement than the level running but, no significant difference. 2. VL and BF during the support phase in downhill running showed Iess muscle activity than the level running. but RF showed the opposite result. 3. GM, GL, SO adn TA during the supports phase in downhill running showed less muscle activity than the level running.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.29-36
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of 6-week sensorimotoor training on balance ability and lower limb muscle activation during gait in older adults. Methods: Twenty-four community-dwelling older adults between 65 and 90 years of age participated in this study. In the older adults of the experimental group (n=12), the sensorimotor training program was performed bare feet. General exercise was performed in the control group (n=12). Then, both groups exercised three times a week for forty minutes over a 6-week period. Balance ability was evaluated by One leg stand (OLS) test for determining the static balance and Timed Up & Go (TUG) test for determining the dynamic balance. In addition, muscle activation of the dominant lower limb tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius medialis muscles were measured by surface EMG to evaluate muscle activation during gait. Results: A significant improvement was seen in the one leg standing (OLS) time after exercise in both the sensorimotor training (SMT) group and general exercise (GE) group (p<0.05) and the change in the SMT group was greater than that in the GE group (p<0.05). A significant reduction was seen in the Timed Up & Go (TUG) test time after exercise in both the SMT group and GE group (p<0.05). Also, a significant increase was seen in muscle activation of tibialis anterior muscle after exercise in the SMT group (p<0.05), but no such significant increase was seen in the GE group (p>0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that sensorimotor training improves the balance in older adults and has a more positive effect on muscular strength and gait. Sensorimotor training provided a variance of training environment and COG exercise of the body is thought to be a more effective exercise program that improves balance and gait ability in older adults.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.413-420
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• 2016

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare different kinds of outdoor walking shoes in terms of muscle fatigue and ground reaction force on walking, and to provide foundational data for developing and choosing outdoor walking shoes that fit the users. Method: The study subjects were 30 healthy men. The experiment was conducted by using outdoor walking shoes with different inner and outer harnesses of the midsole, and shapes of the outsole. For data collection, electromyography was used to measure the muscle fatigue of the anterior tibial muscle and gastrocnemii, which contribute to the dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of the ankle joint, and the biceps muscle of the thigh and lateral great muscles, which contribute to the flexion and extension of the knee joint. A GRF measurement device was used to measure the X, Y, and Z axes. Results: In the type A outdoor walking shoes, regarding the hardness of the midsole, the inner part was soft, while the outer part was hard. The vertical ground reaction force was the lowest, which means least impact while walking and light load to the knees and ankles. The type C outdoor walking shoes were intended to provide a good feel in wearing the shoes. The tibialis anterior, biceps femoris, and gastrocnemii indicate low fatigue, which means that during a long-distance walk, it will minimize the fatigue in the muscles of the lower limbs. Conclusion: To sum up the study results, the different types of outdoor walking shoes indicate their unique characteristics in the biomechanical comparison and analysis. However, the difference was not statistically significant. Thus, a systematic and constant follow-up research should be conducted to cope with expanding market for outdoor walking shoes. Lastly, this study is expected to present foundational data and directions for developing outdoor walking shoes.