• PNF and Movement
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.413-422
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• 2021

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate changes in the cervical and lumbar flexion-relaxation ratio, range of motion, pressure pain threshold, and perceived comfort following the wearing of a trunk brace during smartphone watching. Methods: To calculate the number of subjects for this study, an analysis with G^*Power was performed at a statistical power of 0.8, an effect size of 0.5, and a significance level of 0.05, based on the results of a preliminary experiment on five subjects. In total, 27 adult men and women were recruited who had been informed of the study's purpose and process and had agreed to participate. All subjects watched content on a smartphone for 20 minutes in the same posture and conditions while wearing and not wearing a trunk brace, and then their cervical and lumbar flexion-relaxation ratio, range of motion, pressure pain threshold, and perceived comfort were measured. Results: Compared to the non-wearing of a trunk brace, the wearing of a trunk brace resulted in a statistically significant smaller decline in cervical extension and right-side cervical rotation (p<0.05). When the subjects wore a trunk brace, their right- and left-side cervical and right-side lumbar pressure pain statistically significantly improved when compared to not wearing a trunk brace (p<0.05). They also perceived a significantly lowered level of comfort 20 minutes after wearing a trunk brace compared to immediately after wearing it (p<0.05). Conclusion: The trunk brace was effective in reducing declines in right-side cervical rotation and the occurrence of left- and right-side cervical and right-side lumbar pressure pain. The findings indicate the need to improve the perceived comfort of trunk braces.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.73-83
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• 2023

Objective: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients make up 40% of all scoliosis patients, and it is likely to increase even more because of the increase in sitting times due to the pandemic. Method: The subject of this study was a 16-year-old female student. The Cobb's Angle at initial value was 42° at the thoracic and 33° at the lumbar. The subject's height was 161.6 cm, and the type of scoliosis was 3CL. The brace was built with fabric materials with the size information from the X-ray information and actual measurements. The brace was made for the adolescents to wear for a longer time by making them put pressure on the same pressure points of the existing braces. The subjects were required to wear the device for 16 hours every day for three months. Additional features to check the pressure and time were synchronized through an app for easier communication and management with the responsible investigator. Results: After wearing the 3D Fabric brace, Cobb's angle changed from 42° to 33° at the thoracic and 33° to 23° at the lumbar. The ATR changed from 9° to 8° at the thoracic and 11° to 6° at the lumbar. As a result, the changes in the ATR angle do relate to the decrease of Cobb's angle, which made the angle of scoliosis that is bent in a three-dimensional way improve, making the height of the subject increase from 161.6 cm to 163.5 cm. Conclusion: Through this study, developing a brace that is made in the form of the 3CL to align the strap direction and putting pressure on the proper pressure points makes Cobb's angle and the ATR smaller. This means that there is a positive effect on the changes in height. A brace made of light fabric material is a good brace to help treat adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. There was an opinion that it is more comfortable to wear than existing braces, but it seems necessary to conduct a quantitative study about the before and after of wearing the brace and a survey for Korean specific cases.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.119-126
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• 2022

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the application of abdominal brace techniques on muscle activity of the trunk and lower extremities when walking. Design: Cross-sectional study Methods: This study was conducted on 26 healthy adults in their 20s, and the subjects performed two conditions in random order: walking with the abdominal bracing technique and walking in an abdominal relaxation state (normal gait). Muscle activity was measured on the dominant side of all subjects using surface electromyography, and the attachment sites were the erector spinae, external oblique, internal oblique, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis oblique muscles. Each condition was measured three times to calculate and analyze the average value. Results: When walking using the abdominal brace technique, the muscle activity of the erector spinae, external oblique, internal oblique, and vastus lateralis increased significantly (p<0.05), and the muscle activity of the vastus medialis increased as well but was not significant. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that it is possible to be used as an effective guide to increasing the muscle activity and stability of the trunk and lower extremities through the application of the abdominal bracing technique during walking.