• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2012

Background: The number of old people with degenerative osteoarthritis one of the chronic disease, were constantly increased. Many researchers have made a great effort to verify the effects of ultrasound and laser therapy in degenerative osteoarthritis treatment. This study applied ultrasound-laser integration therapy on knee joint degenerative osteoarthritis and compared its effect with ultrasound and laser. Methods: We assigned 60 patients age 65 to 85 who had been diagnosed as knee joint degenerative osteoarthritis in G nursing home in Daejeon city. Randomization was done in blocks of three, holding twenty people per each group to receive either ultrasound, laser, ultrasound-laser integration therapy. This study carried out the experiment for 6 weeks to from April 17, 2010. We measured variables using visual analog scale (VAS) and pressure threshold meter (PTM) of the effects by before and after exercise. Results: It has been found that VAS was reduced and PTM was increased in all three groups. Compare with the other groups, Ultrasound-laser integration therapy group had lower VAS and higher PTM than ultrasound therapy and laser therapy group. Conclusions: These results lead us to the conclusion that ultrasound-laser integration have influenced the pain reduction of the knee degenerative osteoarthritis.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.9-15
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate electromyographic activities of the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) and the flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) by the shape of the ultrasound head. Twelve healthy subjects participated and performed ultrasound therapy with a round head and a long handled head during each 5-minute application. Electromyographic activities of the FDS and FCU were recorded by surface electrodes and normalized by maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) values. There was no difference in the muscular fatigue of FDS and FCU as determined by the shape of the ultrasound head (p>.05). Without the shape of head, the mean power frequency decreased with the time. There also was no difference in %MVIC of the FDS and FCU as determined by the shape of the ultrasound head (p>.05), but the force exerted exceeded 20%MVIC. There was however a significant difference in the amount of cumulative workload of the FDS and FCU as determined by the shape of ultrasound head (p<.05). The workload was however not affected by the shape of the ultrasound head. Constant static grasp of ultrasound transducer head during ultrasound therapy is considered a high risk factor of work-related musculoskeletal disease.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2006

Purpose : The Purpose of this study was to pain release and power grip in wrist affect of needle TENS(utilized of TENS in electrotherapy with oriental needle) and ultrasound therapy and taping with carpal tunnel syndrome patients. Methods : To study divided of each groups. each groups were apply to ultrasound therapy for 5 mintus, Taping was attached from wrist joint to elbow joint medial epicondly after maximum extension. needle TENS application was following of median nerve in wrist. Result : 1. The pain was released on needle TENS, ultrasound and taping groups of all(p<.05). 2. Power grip was enhanced in needle TENS and taping groups(p<.05) but ultrasound was no difference compared with before therapy. 3. Compared with needle TENS and taping therapy about pain release was needle TENS groups better than ultrasound groups(p<.05) Conclusion : Needle TENS, taping therapy are more effectable than ultrasound therapy for grip power and pain release. Needle TENS therapy is more effectable than taping therapy for pain release. Therefor, neddle TENS therapy is most effectable for pain release with carpal tunnel syndrome patients.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.76-84
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• 2007

This study was designed to determine the efficacy of ultrasound and laser therapy for sub-acute lower back pain. Twenty-seven patients with sub-acute low back pain were recruited, who were randomly assigned to three groups: Ultrasound group (actual ultrasound, 1.1 MHz, $1.0W/cm^2$, duty cycle 100%, 10 min/session, n=9), laser group (actual laser, 904 nm, 155 ns, 13.5 W, 12 mW, 90 sec/point, n=9), and control group (placebo ultrasound or placebo laser, n=9). All of treatments including placebo procedures were applied to patients over a period of 2 weeks, five times a week. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Modified Schober's Test (MST), and Modified Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (MODQ) were used by the clinical and functional evaluations before and after intervention. At post-hoc, significant differences were observed in all groups with respect to VAS, MST (p<.05), except MODQ. VAS and MST score were more significantly improved in the ultrasound group than the laser and control group (p<.0167). However, no significant difference was present between the laser group and the control group. Therefore, this study revealed that ultrasound therapy was effective in pain relief and improvement of lumbar mobility in patients with sub-acute lower back pain. However, laser therapy did not show the effects for sub-acute lower back pain.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2006

Since ultrasound has different reflections depending on components of organization, analysis of ultrasound images of skeletal muscle can offer both quantitative and qualitative reports as concerns skeletal muscle structure. This study is focused on the ultrasound method for evaluating the structural characteristics of skeletal muscle and also conducted to examine its practicality. After obtaining images of the elbow flexors from an ultrasound image device with 88 normal subjects whose ages were between twenty and seventy years old (44 men and 44 women), muscular density and white area index (WAI) which indicated structural characteristics of skeletal muscle were analyzed with gray scale analysis. The study examined correlations between subject's age and items which obtained from measuring ultrasound images and the differences in relations to sex and age. Muscular density and WAI had a high correlation with age and were significantly increased in men and women with greater age. The quantitative evaluation method of skeletal muscle structure which analyzed the ultrasound images has high practicality because it is a non-invasive method which complements physical therapy diagnosis and research methods and promotes functionality evaluation.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.51-58
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• 1997

The object of this study were twofold, namely, to study on (1) effect of using ultrasound therapy for curing warts (2) any relation between a cure for warts and onset of warts, as well as subject age. Our subjects, composed of 22 people from age 12 to 49, were assigned to two groups, experimental group and control group. We experimented for 8 session on 12 people in the experimental group by using ultrasound therapy to observe any morphological change in the warts or disappearance of a pain. However, we did not cure warts in the other group, control group. The result of the study are as follows. (1) Ultrasound therapy has an effect on curing warts. (2) Neither condition, onset of warts or subject age, had no influence on a cure for warts.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 2006

Purpose: This study conducted the following experiment to examine transdermal permeation effects or 500 KHz ultrasound with lidocaine HCl. Methods; First, to experiment skin permeation enhancement effects of 500 KHz ultrasound frequency, it produced apparatus and transducer of 500 KHz ultrasound and Franz diffusion cell for skim permenation experiment suitable to purposes of the experiment. Transdermal permeation experiment applied Lidocaine HCL gel to skin of hairless mouse depending on ultrasound frequency and duty cycle and analyzed permeation ratio with HPLC. Results: As a result of fixing lidocaine HCl gel at the same intensity with pulsed mode and continuous mode and comparing transdermal permeation ratio by frequency, transdermal permeation ratio was increased at 500 KHz ultrasound and remarkably increased at continuous ultrasound. It was found that 1 MHz and 500 KHz ultrasound in transdermal permeation experiment enhanced transdermal permeation of lidocaine HCl. In particular, transdermal permeation of 500 KHz using lidocaine HCl gel was highest. Conclusion: However, researches considering various frequencies, intensities and application hours in low frequency areas including 500 KHz ultrasound are needed to increase deep permeation or drugs.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.151-157
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the characteristics of physical therapy service utilization and user satisfaction depending on the experience with therapeutic exercise or ultrasound intervention among elderly persons using senior centers. Methods: The subjects were adults aged over 60 years (total 215) recruited in 40 senior centers located in each province in South Korea. Subjects responded to questions concerning overall demographics factors, utilized characteristics of physical therapy service and 12 variety user satisfactions with effectiveness, facilities, and therapist using a survey instrument. The collected data were analyzed by Fishers' exact tests and t-tests using the SPSS 21.0 program to compare the results of elderly persons who had or had not experienced exercise therapy or ultrasound therapy. Results: The participants that experienced ultrasound therapy or therapeutic exercise reported significantly higher overall results pertaining to effectiveness of physical therapy and a clear explanation from physical therapist's satisfaction than those who were non-experienced. Satisfaction with pain relief was significantly higher among elderly who experienced therapeutic exercise than those who did not. Those who underwent ultrasound therapy showed significantly higher satisfaction with facilities and location than those who did not. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that satisfaction among users differs by type of physical therapy. In the future, physiotherapy services provided in senior centers needs to be designed to improve the effectiveness of physical therapy, professionalism of physical therapists and comfort of facility.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.83-94
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• 2006

Purpose: This study conducts quantitative evaluation or structural and functional characteristics or normal skeletal muscle with ultrasound image and surface electromyography, and is to provide basic materials for utilizing ultrasound image analysis in physical therapy diagnosis and assessment of skeletal muscle. Methods: Measurement of three stages was conducted with 88 normal adults between their twenties and seventies, correlations and differences using collected data according to age and gender were compared and correlations among measured items were analyzed and then the following conclusions were obtained. Results: Analysis of ultrasound image of normal skeletal muscle showed that density, median frequency had the closest relations with age. In addition, it was found that there were high correlations between density explaining structural characteristics of skeletal muscle and median frequency explaining functional characteristics. Conclusion: Analysis of ultrasound image makes complex evaluation of structure and function of skeletal muscle possible when it is connected with functional evaluation method using physical measurement surface electromyography as well as quantitative evaluation of structural changes of skeletal muscle and is effective in complementing physical therapy diagnosis centering around functionality evaluation.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.28-37
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• 2013

This study examined differences in the activity of upper limb muscles according to how an ultrasound head is gripped. Twenty-two adult males were participated in the study. Each participant was asked to apply ultrasound treatment on to a lump of pork meat by two different ultrasound head grip patterns: spherical and cylindrical grips. Muscle activity was measured in the extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL), flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU), and pronator teres (PT), triceps brachii (TB), middle deltoid (MD), and upper trapezius (UT) muscles. There were no significant differences in the EMG signals of any muscle according to the ultrasound head grip pattern (p>.05). There were significant differences in the EMG signal of each type of muscle (p<.05). The EMG signal of UT was the lowest and that of TB was lower than ECRL and FCU. There were interactions between ECRL and FCU, between ECRL and PT, between FCU and ECRL, and between FCU and MD. The EMG signal of ECRL using the cylindrical head was low and that of FCU with the cylindrical head was high, while the opposite was the case with the spherical head ($p_{adj}$ <.05/15). The results of this study indicate that the wrist muscles worked actively when the participants applied ultrasound therapy using both spherical and cylindrical heads. A spherical head might induce imbalanced muscle activity among the wrist muscles, leading to deviation of the wrist joint. Therefore, the cylindrical head is recommended for ultrasound therapy because it produced a constant, repeated force.