• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.319-327
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• 2011

Skeletal muscle fatigue is defined as a 'any reduction in the maximal capacity to generate force or power output', and is the reduction of oxygen consumption and by-product of metabolism. For the muscle fatigue therapy, low level laser has been introduced that leads the mitochondrial respiratory and attributes the muscle fatigue recovery. This study analyzed the muscle fatigue signals from electromyography(EMG) during low-level laser therapy (LLLT). Healthy subjects performed voluntary elbow flexion-extension excercise and received placebo LLLT and active LLLT using a 830 nm laser diode. Then, EMG were measured for the evaluation of muscle fatigue. The acquired EMG data were analyzed with median frequency and short time fourier transform methods. The results showed that the LLLT had a significant symptomatic relief of muscle fatigue based on the EMG frequency analysis. Therefore, the muscle fatigue analysis with EMG signals can be applied to quantitative evaluation for the monitoring of LLLT effects.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.45-56
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• 2004

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to know the effects of the postoperative lumbar extensor strengthening exercise program on back muscles strength and volume, pain, and the time of return to work. METHODS: A prospective controlled trial of lumbar extensor exercise program in patients who underwent microdiscectomy or percutaneous endoscopic discectomy for prolapsed lumbar intervertebral disc. Seventy-five patients were randomized into exercise group (20 male, 15 female) and non-exercise group (18 male, 22 female). Six weeks after surgery, patients in exercise group undertook a 12-week lumbar extension exercise (MedX) program. Assessment of spinal function was performed in all patients on postoperative 6 weeks, 18 weeks. The assessment included measures of lumbar extensor power, muscle mass of erector spinalis. All patients completed the visual analog scale (VAS) for evaluation of pain, and return to work. RESULTS: In muscle power, there were statistically significant improvements between pre and post test on muscle power in exercise group. But there were not statistically significant difference on muscle power in non-exercise group. In muscle mass, there were statistically significant difference between pre and post test on muscle mass in exercise group. But there were not statistically significant difference on muscle mass in non-exercise group. In the pain, there were statistically significant decrease between pre and post test on both group. But there were not statistically significant difference on fatty tissue and obesity in non-exercise group. The percentages of return to work in postoperative 4 months were significantly greater in the exercise group than in the non -exercise group. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative lumbar extensor strengthening exercise program appears to be more beneficial to the patients who underwent operation for prolapsed lumbar intervertbral disc.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.141-150
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• 2007

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of stress and meridian muscle electrography in Korean adult males. Methods : Sixty-nine volunteers suffering from stress participated in this study. Physical examination, stress survey and meridian muscle electrography were performed. Each variable was compared with each other by correlation analysis. Results : Correlation between stress response inventory and fatigue of trapezius muscle right upper portion was statistically significant. In relationship between sub scales of stress response inventory and meridian muscle electrography, fatigue of trapezius muscle right upper portion was statistically significant with tension, depression, and frustration. Contraction power of left sternocleidomastoid muscle was significant with somatization and others were not significant. Conclusions : In Korean adult males, trapezius muscle shows more fatigue under more stress. This suggests that stress influences muscle fatigue. Although meridian muscle electrography is not a typical method for the evaluation of pain nor stress, this is referential method to clinical evaluation of painful shoulder caused stress.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers D
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.338-347
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• 2005

A computer-based low back muscle evaluation system was designed to simultaneously acquire, process, display, quantify, and correlate electromyographic(EMG) activity with muscle force, and range of motion(ROM) in the lumbar muscle of human. This integrated multi-channel system was designed around notebook PC. Each channel consisted of a time and frequency domain block, and T-F(time-frequency) domain block. The captured data in each channel was used to display and Quantify : raw EMG, histogram, zero crossing, turn, RMS(root mean square), variance, mean, power spectrum, median frequency, mean frequency, wavelet transform, Wigner-Ville distribution, Choi-Williams distribution, and Cohen-Posch distribution. To evaluate the performance of the designed system, the static and dynamic contraction experiments from lumbar(waist) level of human were done. The experiment performed in five subjects, and various parameters were tested and compared. This system could equally well be modified to allow acquisition, processing, and analysis of EMG signals in other studies and applications.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.82-89
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• 2010

Ankle-foot orthosis with an artificial pneumatic muscle which is intended for the assistance of plantarfelxion torque was developed. In this study, power pattern of the device in the various pneumatics and the effectiveness of the system were investigated. The pneumatic power was provided by ankle-foot orthosis controlled by user‘s physiological signal, that is, muscular stiffness in soleus muscle. This pneumatic power can assist plantarflexion torque of ankle joint. The subjects performed maximal voluntary isokinetic plantarflexion motion on a biodexdynamometer in different pneumatics, and they completed three conditions: 1) without wearing the orthosis, 2) wearing the orthosis with artificial muscles turned off, 3) wearing the orthosis activated under muscular stiffness control. Through these experiments, we confirmed the effectiveness of the orthosis and muscular stiffness control using the analyzing isokinetic plantarflexion torque. The experimental results showed that isokinetic torques of plantarflexion motion of the ankle joints gradually increased in incremental pneumatic. The effectiveness of the orthosis was -7.26% and the effectiveness of the muscular stiffness control was 17.83% in normalized isokinetic plantarflexion torque. Subjects generated the less isokinetic torques of the ankle joints in wearing the orthosis with artificial muscles turned off, but isokinetic torques were appropriately reinforced in condition of wearing the orthosis activated under muscular stiffness control(17.83%) compared to wearing the orthosis(-7.26%). Therefore, we respect that developed powered orthosis is applied in the elderly that has weak muscular power as the rehabilitation equipment.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.57-63
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• 2011

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of Pilates exercise on Fitness Factors related to motor performance including flexibility, agility, power, balance, and muscle endurance. Methods: Forty subjects were randomly allocated to one of two groups. The Pilates group did Pilates exercises 3 times a week for 8weeks, 60 minutes each time, and submitted to evaluation of protocols to assess sitting and reaching tests, a standing broad jump test, a side step test, a balance test using a Biodex Stability System, and muscle endurance using CSMI. Results: The Pilates group (n=20) participated in Pilates exercises three times in a week for eight weeks. The results show significant post-test differences in the Pilates group in the following areas: flexibility, agility, power, balance and muscle endurance. There was no significant increase in the control group. Post-exercise, there was no significant difference between the Pilates and control group. Conclusion: The Pilates method can offer significant improvement in personal flexibility, agility, power, balance, and muscle endurance. This study suggests that individuals can improve their Fitness Factors related to motor performance using Pilates exercises that do not require equipment or a high degree of skill. Further study is required to quantify the benefits of Pilates exercise.

• Biomedical Engineering Letters
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.345-353
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• 2018

This study suggested a new EMG-signal-based evaluation method for knee rehabilitation that provides not only fragmentary information like muscle power but also in-depth information like muscle fatigue in the field of rehabilitation which it has not been applied to. In our experiment, nine healthy subjects performed straight leg raise exercises which are widely performed for knee rehabilitation. During the exercises, we recorded the joint angle of the leg and EMG signals from four prime movers of the leg: rectus femoris (RFM), vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and biceps femoris (BFLH). We extracted two parameters to estimate muscle fatigue from the EMG signals, the zero-crossing rate (ZCR) and amplitude of muscle tension (AMT) that can quantitatively assess muscle fatigue from EMG signals. We found a decrease in the ZCR for the RFM and the BFLH in the muscle fatigue condition for most of the subjects. Also, we found increases in the AMT for the RFM and the BFLH. Based on the results, we quantitatively confirmed that in the state of muscle fatigue, the ZCR shows a decreasing trend whereas the AMT shows an increasing trend. Our results show that both the ZCR and AMT are useful parameters for characterizing the EMG signals in the muscle fatigue condition. In addition, our proposed methods are expected to be useful for developing a navigation system for knee rehabilitation exercises by evaluating the two parameters in two-dimensional parameter space.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2012

In this study, muscle fatigue of biceps and triceps during isometric exercise depending on concentric contraction and eccentric contraction was evaluated using EMG. 12 healthy male volunteers was performed concentric exercise and eccentric exercise by maximum flection and extension of elbow joint. Integrated EMG (IEMG) in time domain and mean power frequency (MNF) in frequency domain were calculated. MNF of the biceps and triceps was decreased, whereas IEMG was increased during concentric contraction and eccentric contraction. But muscle fatigue index appeared higher at region of stretched muscle length. in this result, muscle fatigue occurs at both biceps and triceps muscle during concentric and eccentric exercise, and muscle fatigue was affected by muscle contraction and extension.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.63-71
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• 1998

Trunk holding test (Sorensen test) appear to have more value than strength test in prediction the occurrence of low back pain. Electromyographic activity of trunk extensor muscles during these test may provide clues to the etiology of neuromuscular-based low back pain. This study investigated the difference in back muscle endurance between healthy adult men and women using surface electromyographic (EMG) power spectral analysis. Thirty hea1thy subjects (15 men and 15 women) performed an unsupported trunk holding test for 60 seconds. Recording surface electrodes were placed over the erector spinae medially and laterally at vertebral levels of $L_1$ and $L_5$. Slope of total frequency was evaluated using the MP100WSW Fast Fourier Transform spectrum analysis program. The slopes of all indices of back muscle fatigue, except right $L_5$, were significantly steeper in men than in women (p<0.05). Our results indicated that the trunk holding test using EMG power spectral analysis of erector spinae muscles is useful for the evaluation of fatigue rate of these muscles. Our results also showed a higher muscle endurance in healthy adult women than in men.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.1231-1239
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• 2010

The aim of this study was developing the non-invasive focused magnetic stimulation system(NI_FMSS) that can stimulates acupoints which are small parts and knotted muscular tissues. To evaluate pain treatment effect of the NI_FMSS, we caused muscle fatigue to 25 subjects in biceps of the arm. Then, we stimulated acupoints(trigger points) HT2 using low frequency stimulator(10 subjects) and NI_FMSS(10 subjects). The other 5 subjects had not been stimulated. We analyzed muscle fatigue recovery with median frequency, RMS and median power in frequency domain for 5 days. We checked the magnetic stimulation effect on acupoint by evaluation of muscle fatigue recovery. Therefore, we identified that the NI_FMSS was more efficient system to relieve muscle pain than electric-stimulation system.