• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine changes in functional assessment measures (FAMs) and spatiotemporal gait parameters (STGPs) in healthy older adults before and after a 6-week intervention of a proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) training program. Methods: Thirty healthy older adults (mean age: $73.37{\pm}1.21$ age range: 65-79) were randomly assigned either to an experimental group (participating in a 6-week intervention of PNF training) or a control group (only performing daily activities). Participants in the control group did not receive any training program. Performance was assessed by recording changes in the FAMs and STGPs using functional assessment tools and GAITRite. Results: Participants in the PNF group showed significantly improved functional assessment measures and increased stride length, cadence, velocity, and step width (p<0.05). No significant differences in FAMs and STGPs were found in the control group (p>0.05). Conclusion: Participation in a PNF training program improves FAMs and STGPs, thereby increasing the ability of healthy older adults to maintain dynamic balance during functional performance and gait. These findings support the use of PNF training programs as effective fall-prevention programs for the elderly.

• Archives of design research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.211-220
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• 2001

The general characteristics of the elder gait are to show a tendency that stride length and cycle decrease compared with those of adult, then walk velocity decreases. Despite differences by age in design of elder footwear, the study on characteristics of elderly gait is few. This study aims to compare pressure distributions of elderly foot with those of young students by using EMED. The ground contact time on foot was longer than that of university students in Result. Elderly males and females have 1.12 times and 1.20 times greater maximum force over the whole areas on the foot during walking than that of younger males and females, respectively. The elderly have long ground contact time at the middle foot. The guidelines which should be considered in designing shoes for the elderly are proposed. The results can be applied to design of the elder footwear on the basis of ergonomics.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.555-561
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• 2008

This Paper introduces new approach to develop fast and reliable gaits for quadruped robot using GA(genetic algorithm). Planning gaits for legged robots is a challenging task that requires optimizing parameters in a highly irregular and multidimensional space. Recent approaches have problems to select proper parameters which are not known in advance and optimize more than ten to twenty parameters simultaneously. In our approach, the effects of major gait parameters are analysed and used to guide the search more efficiently. The experiments of Sony AIBO ERS-7 in Webots environment indicate that our approach is able to produce much improved results in fast velocity and reliability.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1950-1953
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• 2020

Background: Ankle instability usually occurs after stroke, and contributes to unsafe walking and associated risk of falling in the affected patients. Objective: To investigate the effects of kinesiology taping (KT) on gait and balance ability (center of pressure, CoP) in patients with ankle instability after stroke. Design: One group, pre-post design. Methods: A total of 11 patients with ankle instability after stroke were enrolled. In all subjects, the gait and balance ability were assessed under 2 conditions: KT and barefoot. Gait and balance ability was assessed using GAITRite system and FDM-S platform. Results: Comparison between KT and barefoot condition, KT condition was significantly higher in velocity, cadence, step length, and stride length than barefoot condition (P<.05). KT condition was significantly lower in CoP path length and sway speed than barefoot condition (P<.05). Conclusion: KT indicated potential as a helpful method for walking and balancing ability in patients with ankle instability after stroke. Therefore, this study recommends KT as an option applicable to the stroke with ankle instability.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.21-29
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• 2013

Purpose : The study was to evaluate the weight distribution, balance and gait function of stroke patients wearing lateral wedged insole to the shoe of the affected side. Methods : 27 patients with stroke (15 men, 12 women) participated in this study. Participants performed weight distribution, dynamic balance and gait ability with or without wedged insole on affected side in a random order. The balancia was used to evaluate the weight distribution. Deviation from the center line was analyzed by Dartfish during sit to stand to evaluate dynamic balance. The functional walk ability evaluated by 10 m walking velocity. Results : The asymmetry index of weight bearing improved significantly with wedged insole of affected side(p<.05). During sit to stand, center of gravity significantly moved from non-affected side to more mid line of body(p<.05). Improvement were shown in walking speed after wearing the wedged insole(p<.05). Conclusion : Wedged insole applied on affected side have a beneficial effect on weight distribution, dynamic balance and walking speed with stroke.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.64-73
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• 2013

The purposes of this study were to develop a new orthosis controlling ankle and knee joint motion during the gait cycle and to identify the effects of the newly designed orthosis on gait kinematics and tempospatial parameters, including coordination of the extremities in stroke patients. Fifteen individuals who had sustained a stroke, onset was 16 months, participated in this study. Before application of the measurement equipment the subjects were accustomed to walking on the ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) or stance control knee with knee flexion assisted-oil damper ankle-foot orthosis (SCKAFO) for 5 minutes. Fifteen patients were investigated for 45 days with a 3-day interval between sessions. Measurements were walking in fifteen stroke with hemiparesis on the 3D motion analysis system. Comparison of AFO and SCKAFO are gait pattern. The difference between the AFO and SCKAFO conditions was significant in the gait velocity, step length of the right affected side, stance time of both legs, step-length asymmetry ratio, single-support-time asymmetry ratio, ${\phi}$-thigh angle and ${\phi}$-shank angle in the mid swing (p<.001). Using a SCKAFO in stroke patients has shown similar to normal walking speeds can be attained for walking efficiency and is therefore desirable. In this study, the support time of the affected leg with the SCKAFO was longer than with the AFO and the asymmetry ratio of single support time decreased by more than with the AFO. This indicates that the SCKAFO was effective for improving gait symmetry, single-support-time symmetry. This may be due to the decrease of gait asymmetry. Thus, the newly designed SCKAFO may be useful for promoting gait performance by improving the coordination of the extremity and decreasing gait asymmetry in chronic stroke patients.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.661-672
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate whether mat exercise and field exercise have effectiveness on the balance and gait in older adults. Thirty subjects were participated in this study. And they were all randomly divided into mat exercise and field exercise group. To evaluate the effects of mat and field exercise, subjects were evaluated by using One Leg Stand test which was static balance test, and Berg Balance test which was dynamic balance test. Finally Gait pattern was assessed by using 3-dimensional gait analysis system. The assessment parameters were evaluated before, after 3 weeks, and after 6 weeks treatments. And we received a consent form from all subjects. The results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that One Leg Stand, Berg Balance, Stride length, Cadence, Velocity were significantly increased after than before exercise in both groups. So we conclude that therapeutic exercise that is mat and field exercise has effectiveness on the balance and gait in older adults.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.20-30
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of ankle joint mobilization with movement (MWM) on the range of motion (ROM) in the ankle, on the muscle strength of lower extremities, and on spatiotemporal gait parameters in chronic hemiplegic patients. Fifteen subjects with chronic stroke were divided into two groups: an experimental group (8 subjects) and a control group (7 subjects). Both groups attended two or three sessions of physical therapy each week. The experimental group also attended additional MWM training sessions three times a week for five weeks. For both groups, the ROM of the ankle, the muscle strength of the lower extremities, and the spatiotemporal gait parameters in paretic limbs were evaluated before and after the training period. The results showed that the experimental group experienced more significant increases than did the control group in terms of passive (6.10%) and active (21.96%) ROM of the ankle, gait velocity (12.96%), and peak torque, of the knee flexor (81.39%), the knee extensor (24.88%), and the ankle plantar flexor (41.75%)(p<.05). These results suggest that MWM training in patients with chronic stroke may be beneficial in increasing ROM in the ankle, muscle strength in the lower extremities, and gait speed.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.3826-3832
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• 2010

This study was aimed at determining the effect of virtual reality(VR) based exercise programs on energy expenditure during gait in chronic stroke patients. Thirty-two stroke patients were participated for this study. They underwent stroke for more than 6 months and were assigned to a VR-exercise group (n=16) or a control group (n=16). The VR-exercise group executed a rehabilitation exercise three times a week during 6 weeks. The VR-exercise was performed by PS2 for one hour. Control group maintained their usual life without application of exercise. Energy expenditure index(EEI) during gait was calculated from heart rate and gait velocity. After the completion of the VR-exercise, the EEI was decreased significantly (p<0.05). These results showed that the rehabilitation exercise using a virtual reality is effective in the improvement of energy efficiency during gait in chronic stroke patients.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.9-23
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• 1995

The objective of this study was to identify the effects of weight-transfer training on the weight bearing distribution and gait patterns of hemiplegic patients through visual and auditory feedback using a limb load monitor. The subjects of this study were 18 hemiplegic patients who had been hospitalized or were visited out-patient department of the Rehabilitation Hospital, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, from January 5, 1995 through March 15, 1995. Pre-and post-training changes in gait patterns were measured using ink foot prints as well as by recording weight bearing distribution using a limb load monitor. The data were analyzed by the repeated measure one-way ANOVA and paired t-test. The finding were as follows: 1. Prior to the training, 18 subjects bore more weight on the sound leg(61.6 %) than on the affected leg(38.4 %). 2. Posterior to the training, the average percentage of weight bearing on the affected leg increased significantly from 38.4 % prior to training; to 46.0 % immediately after training; 45.7 % after a 30 second delay; and 45.3 % after a 60 second 3. The difference in gait patterns between pre- and post- training was statistically significant, with an increase in gait velocity to 3.65 cm/sec post-training; an increase in stride length to 5.37 cm on the affected side; 4.77 cm on the sound side; and a narrowing of the base of support to 1.19 cm. In conclusion, hemiplegic weight-transfer training using visual and auditory feedback with a limb load monitor was found to be enhancing symmetrical standing posture, and simultaneously improve gait patterns.