• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.378-382
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of forward head posture on the flexion-relaxation ratio (FRR) and muscle activity during sustained neck flexion and to investigate the correlation between craniovertebral angle and FRR. Methods: Nineteen subjects participated in this study and were allocated to a forward head posture (FHP) group or a non-forward head posture (NFHP) group. Craniovertebral angle (CVA) and FRR were measured in all subjects, and all participants performed a standardized cervical flexion-extension movement in two phases: Phase I, sustained cervical full flexion for 5s; and Phase II, cervical extension with the return to the starting position for 5s. The value of CVA has calculated three times, and the value of FRR was measured three times in order to obtain the mean value. Results: FRR values in the FHP and NFHP group were significantly different (p<0.05). Phase I was significantly different, but the Phase II was not significantly different between the FHP and NFHP group (p>0.05). There was a significant correlation between the muscle activity of Phase I and CVA (p<0.05). However, FRR and the muscle activity of the Phase II were not a significant correlation with the CVA (p>0.05). Conclusion: FHP increases the muscle activity of the cervical erector spinae during sustained neck flexion and reduces FRR, which can cause fatigue in the cervical erector spinae. In addition, for those with a smaller CVA, muscle activity of the cervical erector spinae is increased during sustained neck flexion, which can increase neck muscle tension.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.145-154
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• 2023

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the sling exercise wearing a neck orthosis on the craniovertebral angle, muscle tension, and headaches in adults with a forward head posture and tension headache. METHODS: In this single-blinded, randomized, controlled, comparative study, a total of 22 adults with forward head postures and tension headaches were randomly assigned to the experimental group (sling exercise wearing a neck orthosis, n = 11) or the control group (sling exercise without a neck orthosis, n = 11). All participants undertook the sling exercise program (3×/week for 4 weeks). The craniovertebral angle, muscle tension, and headache were measured before and after the 4-week training. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed in the craniovertebral angle, muscle tension, and headache in the experimental group (p < .05). This group also showed a larger decrease in the muscle tension and headache (upper trapezius, -4.97 Hz vs -1.70 Hz, p < .05; splenius capitis, -5.44 Hz vs -2.54 Hz, p < .05; headache, -19.73 score vs -14.64 score, p < .05, respectively). CONCLUSION: The sling exercise wearing a neck orthosis could be an effective way to relieve the symptoms caused by a forward head posture. It could also be a more effective way of decreasing muscle tension and headaches than the sling exercise without wearing a neck orthosis.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.87-97
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• 2000

This study was performed to investigate the effects of repetitive mandibular opening movement and change of head posture on the vibration of temporomandibular(TM) joint. For this study, 23 patients with internal derangement of TM joint were selected. All they had clinically noticeable TM joint sound. Observation of the joint vibration were performed in four head postures, namely, natural head posture (NHP), forward head posture(FHP), upward head posture(UHP), and downward head posture(DHP). For recording of joint sound vibration, Sonopak of Biopak system(Bioresearch Inc., Milwaukee, USA) was used, The author could take results related to integral higher than 300Hz, integral lower than 300Hz, ratio of integral higher than 300Hz to integral lower than 300Hz, total integral which was sum of higher and lower integral, peak amplitude, and peak frequency in each opening movement, which was carried out three times in each head posture. Integral means amount of vibration. The data obtained were analysed by SPSS windows program and the results of this study were as follows : 1. In NHP, total integral in right TM joint was 5O.3Hz in the first opening, 67.9Hz in the second opening, and 74.0Hz in the third opening movement, bur there was no significant increase of total integral with repetitive opening movement. This finding was similar in left TM joint. Integral lower than 300Hz were higher than integral higher than 300Hz in almost every opening movement. 2. There was no significant difference of total integral between right and left side of TM joint, but there was a tendency of higher total integral in right TM joint than that in left TM joint except for results in DHP. 3. Peak amplitude in NHP ranged from 2.0 to 4.7, and peak frequency in NHP were 101.4-170.0Hz. And there was no consistent findings related to increase or decrease of these value according to repetitive opening in each head posture. 4. Change of head posture did not result any difference in integral, peak amplitude, and peak frequency. In conclusion, change of head posture and repetitive mandibular opening movement did not make any significant effect on the vibration of temporo-mandibular joint, especially, on total integral, peak amplitude, and peak frequency.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.421-427
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyze the difference between male and female tennis players' two-handed backhand stroke and to provide basic data which helps precise and efficient instruction for the sake of precise postures, enhanced performances and skills. 5 male and 5 female university players were recruited as subjects, and the mean difference between the kinematic variables such as the time from backswing to impact and total swing time, racket head velocity, change of the center of body gravity in two-handed backhand stroke through three-dimensional motion analysis. The test data was analyzed by t-test, and the alpha level of ${\alpha}$=.05 was set for all tests of significance. The findings of the study were as follows; First, there was no difference in the time from backswing to impact and total time of

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.8-17
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• 2024

Background: Sleep accounts for approximately one-third of a person's lifetime. It is a relaxing activity that relieves mental and physical fatigue. Pillows of different sizes, shapes, and materials have been designed to improve sleep quality by achieving an optimal sleep posture. Objects: This study aimed to determine which pillow provides the most comfortable and supports the head and neck during sleep, which may enhance sleep quality. Methods: Twenty-eight healthy adults (19 males and 9 females) with an average age of 29 years participated in this cross-sectional study. This experiment was conducted while the participants laid down for 5 minutes in four different pillow conditions: (1) no pillow (NP), (2) neck support foam pillow (NSFP), (3) standard microfiber filled pillow (SFP), and (4) hybrid foam pillow (HFP). The head-neck peak pressure, cranio-vertebral angle in supine (CVAs), cranio-horizontal angle in supine (CHAs), chin-sternum distance (CSD), and muscle tone of sternocleidomastoid were analyzed using one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: The head-neck peak pressure was the highest in the NSFP condition, followed by the NP, SFP, and HFP conditions. The CVAs, CHAs, and CSD of the SFP were lower than those of the other pillows. Muscle tone was the highest in the NP condition, followed by the of NSFP, HFP, and SFP conditions. The participants subjective comfort level in both the supine and side-lying postures was highest in the HFP condition, followed by the SFP and NSFP conditions. Conclusion: This study can be used to establish the importance of pillow selection for high-quality sleep. The results of this study, suggest that a hybrid pillow with a good supportive core and appropriate fluffiness can maintain comfort and correct cervical spine alignment during sleep.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.87-98
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• 1997

In this study, subway train vibration has been measured to characterize the whole body vibration of Seoul subway lines for various human postures. Results show that the floor vibration level of the subway trains in the vertical direction is higher than that in other directions. At the standing human posture, vibration level of the head in the right-left direction are increased while that in the vertical direction is decreased. It is assumed that the different flexibility of the human body and the rolling motion of the subway trains are the main cause. At the sitting posture with back seat on, vibration level in the right and left direction at the human ischial tuberosities is lower than that in other directions. Results also show that there were little difference between back-seat on model and back-seat off model. Transmissibility analysis shows how the subway vibration affects the response of a human body.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.215-228
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• 1997

Extrapyramidal movement disorders are divided descriptively into hypokinesias(such as parkinsonism), characterized by poverty and slowness of movement : hyperkinesias(such as chorea, athetosis, dystonia, ballism, etc.), manifested by abnormal involuntary movement. Chorea refers to widespread arrythythmic movements of a forcible, rapid, jerky, restless type Choreic movements are noted for their irregularity and variability. They are generally continuous, may be simple or quite elaborate, and affect any part of the body. Dystonla refers to abnormally increased muscular tone that causes fixed abnormal postures. Some patients with dystonia also have shifting postures, resulting from irregular, forceful twisting movement that affect trunk and produce bizarre, grotesque movements and positions of the body. The most frequent and familiar type of focal dystonia is spasmodic torticollis. It consists of an involuntary turning of the head to one side - intermittent at first, then gradually worsening to the point of being more or loss continuous. The combination of blepharospasm and oromandibular dystonia is sometimes refered to as Meige's syndrome. We report two patients with dystonia and chorea in cerebral infarction at basal ganglia. We have experienced good improvement by the oriental medicine and acupuncture treatment.'rho acupuncture points of LI 4, ST 36, TE 3, GB 34, GB 41, LR 3, GB 39 were used. The therapies of herb-medicine were treated by Zibu-Ganshen(滋補肝腎), Huoxue-Xifeng-Tongluo(活血息風通絡).

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2212-2218
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of different sitting postures on range of motion, strength and proprioceptive sense of neck. Fifteen healthy university students participated in the study. Depending on upright sitting position and slump sitting position, range of motion and joint position sense were measured by using Dualer IQ. Also, the maximum isometric strength and force sense were measured by using linear force. As a result, we found that the maximum angle of neck extension and the maximum isometric strength at flexion were significantly higher in upright posture than in slump posture. Also, the maximum angle of neck flexion and the maximum isometric strength at extension were higher in slump posture than in upright posture. According to the result, proper proprioception can have an beneficial effect on postural revision of neck and body by providing the information that cognize the position of head through and sustain upright posture.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.440-447
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• 2022

Background: Agricultural handle equipment is present on all production areas' farms. They are handy and portable; however, excessive use can lead to acute traumas or accidental injuries. Repetitive movements, awkward postures, and hand-arm vibrations predispose them to pain and work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to observe the interaction of handle equipment in terms of electromyographic activity and analyze the postural work-related alterations. Materials and methods: Twenty male agricultural operators, mean age 24±1.54 years, underwent the electromyographic analysis testing their muscular activities with a brushcutter, electric saw, and hedge trimmer in four different test conditions. Results: The brushcutter proved to be the agricultural handle equipment with the higher mean frequency (3.37±0.38 Hz) and root mean square (5.25±1.24 ms^-2). Furthermore, the digital postural analysis showed a general asymmetry of the main arm and the respective side of the trunk. The head resulted right inclined in the anterior frontal plane by 5.7°±1.2°; the right scapula lower than the left in the posterior frontal plane (8.5°±1.8°), and a working trunk inclination of 34.15°±5.7°. Conclusions: Vibrations of handle equipment and awkward working postures represent a risk for agricultural operators. Preventive measures are required to avoid young operators from experiencing musculoskeletal disorders all lifelong.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1-15
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinematic variables of the upper part of the body for 8 elderly men during walking. For this study, kinematic data were collected using a six-camera (240Hz) Qualisys ProReflex system. The room coordinate system was right-handed and fixed in space, with righted orthogonal segment coordinate systems defined for the head, trunk, and pelvis. Based on a rigid body model, reflective marker triads were attached on the 3 segments. Three-dimensional Cartesian coordinates for each marker were determined at the time of recording using a nonlinear transformation(NLT) technique with ProReflex software (Qualisys, Inc.). Coordinate data were low-pass filtered using a fourth-order Butterworth with cutoff frequency of 6Hz. Three-dimensional angles of the head, trunk, and pelvis segment were determined using a Cardan method. On the basis of each segment angle, angle-angle plot used to estimated the movement coordinations between segments. The conclusions were as follows; (1) During the support phase of walking, the elderly people generally kept their, head the flexional and abductional posture. Particularly, the elderly displayed little internal/external rotation. (2) The elderly people showed extensional and external rotation postures in the trunk movement. Particularly, It showed the change from adduction into abduction at the heel contact event of the stance phase. (3) The elderly people showed almost same pelvis movement from the flexion into extension, from the abduction into adduction, and from internal rotation into external rotation at the mid stance and toe off of the stance phase.