• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.323-328
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• 2008

Purpose : Asthma is defined as chronic inflammation of the lower small airways, and bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) is a pathophysiologic feature of asthma. It has been proposed that although there is no direct variable capable of assessing the small airways, a forced expiratory flow of between 25 and 75 percent ($FEF_{25-75}$) might be considered a more sensitive early marker of small airway obstruction than the forced expiratory volume in 1 second ($FEV_1$). Thus, we proposed that the presence and degree of positive responses to bronchial methacholine testing were related to the difference (DFF) and ratio (RFF) between $FEV_1$ and $FEF_{25-75}$ in asthmatic children. Methods : The subjects were 583 symptomatic children, including 324 children with BHR and 259 controls. Pulmonary function tests, methacholine challenge tests, and skin prick tests were performed, and the total eosinophil count, total serum IgE, and serum eosinophil cationic protein level were measured in all subjects. From a concentration-response curve, the methacholine concentration required to produce a decrease of 20% from post-saline $FEV_1$ was calculated ($PC_{20}$). Results : The median DFF and RFF values decreased in controls compared to subjects with bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and this trend was found in groups ranked by its severity. $PC_{20}$ had a negative correlation with DFF and RFF. Cutoff values of 0.5 for DFF and 1.042 for RFF were identified, and sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Conclusion : This study revealed that DFF and RFF might be predictive of bronchial hyperresponsiveness in the context of normal $FEV_1$ in children.

• Archives of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.25-32
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between trunk control and pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength in stroke patients. Methods: This study included 30 patients who had been clinically diagnosed with strokes, and trunk control abilities were measured using the trunk impairment scale (TIS). The subjects were classified into a group with high trunk control ability (TIS score ${\geq}20$) and a group with low trunk control ability (TIS score < 20). The patients' forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) were measured. To compare the pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength between the two groups, the measurement data were analyzed using an independent T-test, and the relationship between TIS and respiratory function was analyzed using a Pearson correlation. Results: The high trunk control ability group had significantly higher pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength than the low trunk control ability group. Significant positive correlations were found between trunk control and FVC, FEV1, PEF, MIP, and MEP. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that trunk control affects pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength in stroke patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.137-146
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• 2020

Purpose : The enhancement of abdominal muscles increases the activation and contraction of respiratory muscles, including the diaphragm. Generally, diaphragm exercises are applied to increase the breathing ability of patients with respiratory disease. Previous studies have shown that breathing capacity can be increased through abdominal muscle strengthening exercises. However, studies on breathing ability are rare and it is doubtful whether these affect respiratory ability more than diaphragm exercises. Therefore, this study seeks to compare whether abdominal exercises can improve breathing ability and whether any increase is comparable to diaphragm exercises. Methods : After selecting subjects, the place of intervention was separated for blindness. The plank group was allowed to relax for 30 seconds after 30 seconds of planking; this was set at three and increased by one set each week. Subjects in the draw-in group were allowed to relax for 30 seconds after maintaining the draw-in contraction state for 30 seconds and this was done for 15 minutes. Subjects in the control group underwent abdominal dilation for five seconds of inspiration time and expired air for five seconds by exposing the lips; breathing was performed repeatedly for 15 minutes. Subjects in each group measured their respiration function three times before intervention, three weeks after the commencement of intervention and after intervention. Spirovit SP-1 was used to measure respiratory function. In each group, repeated ANOVA was used to compare the respiratory function over time and one-way ANOVA was used to compare the respiratory function between groups. The post hoc was conducted using the LSD method. Results : There was a significant increase in respiratory ability between the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) and peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁)/forced vital capacity (FVC) according to the six-week period. However, there was no difference between each group. Conclusion : For patients with low respiratory muscle strength, plank exercises and abdominal draw-in are beneficial exercises for improving respiratory function. These are expected to be widely used in clinical practice for patients with weak respiratory muscles.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.203-210
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• 2021

This study examined the effect of the respiratory training centered at forced breathing exercise of blowing out a candle on the improvement of adults' respiratory ability, which means the increased muscle strength of body trunk. After the four-week candle-blowing breathing training, the forced vital capacity (FVC) increased statistically significantly (p<.05). The forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) did not show a statistically significant difference before and after the four-week intervention(p>.05). The peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) statistically significantly increased after the four-week blowing-out-the-candle training (p<.05). This study examined the relationship between forced breathing training and pulmonary function of healthy adults including FVC, FEV1, and PEF, which means the increased muscle strength of body trunk, by implementing blowing-out-the-candle breathing exercise centered at forced respiratory exercise and obtained significant results. Further studies that use a sample of patients with advanced respiratory system disease for whom physical therapy is absolutely necessary will be required in the future.

• Archives of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.9-15
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the one-time aerobic exercise on pulmonary function, oxygen saturation, and smoking in male college students in their 20's. Methods: The experiment was performed on 11 healthy men who had no musculoskeletal or neurological diseases and who smoked. The subjects performed an aerobic exercise for 30 minutes, using a step box. Before and after the exercise, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume for one second (FEV1), and oxygen saturation were measured. Results: Between the two measurements, there were no significant differences in oxygen saturation (p>.05). However, the differences in FVC and FEV1 were statistically significant (p<.05). Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that a one-time aerobic exercise improves pulmonary function.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2019

PURPOSE: To prevent secondary complications from decreased pulmonary functions and promote neurological recovery, identification of respiratory capacity change patterns depending on different postures of stroke patients and investigation of their properties are needed for active rehabilitation. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the changes in vital capacity in response to different positions and to implement the results as clinical data. METHODS: A respiratory function test was administered to 52 patients with stroke in the sitting, supine, paretic side lying, and non-paretic side lying positions. Pulmonary function indexes used for comparison were forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1), forced expiratory flow 25-75% (FEF 25-75%), and maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV). One-way repeated ANOVA was used for analysis, and post hoc analysis was conducted using least significant difference (LSD). RESULTS: All pulmonary function indexes were measured in the order of sitting, paretic side lying, supine, and non-paretic side lying positions. Excluding the FEF25-75% and MVV of the supine compared with the paretic side lying position, all other pulmonary function indexes differed significantly (p<.05). CONCLUSION: There are differences in pulmonary function indexes depending on different postures of stroke patients, and the study showed that the non-paretic side lying position yielded the greatest effect on lung ventilation mechanisms. Based on these results, appropriate postures need to be considered during physical therapy interventions for stroke patients.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.34-38
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of the types of seat surface (static or dynamic seat surface) on the pulmonary functions during prolonged sitting. Methods: Thirty-four participants (20 males and 14 females) were recruited, and distributed randomly into dynamic prolonged sitting (DPS, n=17) and static prolonged sitting (SPS, n=17) groups. The DPS group was seated on a chair with a dynamic air cushion, and the SPS group was seated on a chair without a dynamic air cushion. The pulmonary function was assessed before sitting, and after participants had been seated for one hour. The pulmonary function [forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and Peak expiratory flow (PEF)] was measured using a spirometer. Results: Statistical analyses revealed significant differences in the time x group interactions of FVC, FEV1, PEF, and FEV1/FVC. The DPS group were significantly different in FVC, FEV1, PEF, and FEV1/FVC after prolonged sitting for one hour, compared to the SPS group (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggest that dynamic sitting can prevent a decrease in the physiological function, such as pulmonary functions, rather than static sitting during prolonged sitting.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2024

Purpose : People who have suffered from COVID-19 suffer from decreased pulmonary function and various side effects. This study aims to present three respiratory exercise intervention methods to improve pulmonary function in COVID-19 survivors. Therefore, the purpose of this study will investigate the effects of breathing exercise interventions (aerobic exercise, diaphragm breathe exercise, and inspiratory muscle training on resistance) on pulmonary function in COVID-19 survivors. Methods : The subjects who participated in this study were 35 male and female college students confirmed with COVID-19. All subjects were randomly assigned to A, D, and I groups according to breathing exercise intervention method. Groups A, D, and I each performed aerobic exercise, diaphragm breathing exercise, and inspiratory muscle training on resistance, 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Pulmonary function was measured using a spirometer, and FVC (forced vital capacity), FEV₁ (forced expiratory volume in one second), FEV₁/FVC % (forced expiratory volume in one second / forced vital capacity ratio), and PEF (peak expiratory flow) were measured at 0, 3, and 6 weeks. Data analysis was compared by repeated measures analysis of variance, and post hoc tests for time were compared and analyzed using paired t-tests. Results : In the results of this study, FVC values showed statistically significant improvement in all groups. FEV₁ values also showed statistically significant improvement in all groups. And the FEV₁/FVC % value also showed statistically significant improvement in all groups. And the PEF values also showed statistically significant improvement in all groups. Conclusion : The results of this study reported that aerobic exercise, diaphragm breathing exercise, and resistance inspiratory muscle training were all effective in improving pulmonary function in COVID-19 survivors. Therefore, application of the three breathing exercise intervention methods presented in this study will help improve pulmonary function in COVID-19 survivors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.99-106
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• 2021

PURPOSE: This study aimed to provide supporting data for the clinical use of breathing exercise with a WBV stimulation as a sustained and safe intervention program, by examining the effect of breathing exercise with WBV stimulation on the pulmonary function, gait ability, and life quality in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who have difficulty performing exercise. METHODS: For this study, after collecting the samples from 20 patients with severe COPD, they were placed randomly in an experimental group to perform breathing exercises with a WBV stimulation (n = 10) and a control group to perform breathing exercises only (n=10). Before the intervention, pulmonary function, six-minute gait distance, and health-related life quality were measured as pre-tests. After applying the intervention program to the patients for 30 minutes once a day, for four days a week, for six weeks, the post-test items were remeasured in the same way as the pre-tests, and the results were analyzed. RESULTS: In the within-group comparison, both the experimental and control groups showed significant differences in the forced expiratory volume in one second, six-minute gait distance, and health-related life quality (p < .01) (p < .05). In the intergroup comparison, there were significant differences in the forced expiratory volume in one second and the six-minute gait distance (p < .05). CONCLUSION: WBV stimulation was more effective for the patients by improving the muscular strength and muscular endurance through the reflexive contraction of muscles, and increasing the exercise tolerance. This result could serve as an alternative means to clinically improve the physical function of patients with severe COPD, who have difficulty performing breathing exercises in the future.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2022

Purpose: The impact of prolonged sitting in a cross-legged posture on physiological factors has not been extensively studied. We therefore attempted to evaluate whether prolonged sitting in a cross-legged posture affects pulmonary function in normal young adults. Methods: Twenty-four participants were recruited in this study, and the participants were equally allocated to the normal sitting posture group (NSP group, n=12) or sitting posture with the cross-legs group (SPCL group, n=12). The NSP group sat on chairs without crossing their legs for 30 minutes, and the SPCL group sat on the chair with legs crossed (the right knee on the left knee or the left knee on the right knee) for 30 minutes. The pulmonary function of the subjects was evaluated based on forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FVC/FEV1, and peak expiratory flow (PEF) measured using a spirometer. Results: In the intra-group comparison, the SPCL group showed significant differences in FVC and FEV1 before and after sitting (p<0.05), but no significant differences (p>0.05) were observed in the NSP group. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the pulmonary function parameters measured before and after sitting (p>0.05). Conclusion: Our results confirmed that prolonged sitting in a cross-legged posture could have a negative influence on pulmonary function. Therefore, if a sitting position is maintained for a long time, the correct sitting posture should be maintained to prevent musculoskeletal disorders as well as to maintain normal pulmonary function.