• PNF and Movement
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine how the position of tibial rotation affects peak force and hamstring muscle activation during isometric knee flexion in healthy women. Methods: Seventeen healthy women performed maximum isometric knee flexion at 30˚ with three tibial rotation positions (tibial internal rotation, neutral position, and tibial external rotation). Surface electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from the medial hamstring (MH) and lateral hamstring (LH) muscles. The strength of the knee flexor was measured with a load-cell-type strength-measurement sensor. Data were analyzed using one-way repeated analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that MH and LH activities and peak force were significantly different among the three tibial rotation conditions (p < 0.01). The post-hoc comparison revealed that the MH EMG activity in tibial neutral and internal rotation positions were significantly greater than tibial external rotation (p < 0.01). The LH activity in tibial external rotation was significantly greater than the tibial neutral position and internal rotation (p < 0.01). The peak force of the knee flexor was also greater in the external tibial rotation position compared with the tibial neutral and internal rotation positions (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that hamstring muscle activation could be changed by tibial rotation.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.103-112
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinematic characteristics during rising from a chair. Six stroke patients and three healthy subjects participated in the study. Three dimensional kinematic analysis was used to get the duration, center of mass, and lower extremity angle. The stroke patients performed longer duration(0.28sec) than the healthy subjects in rising from a chair. The stroke subjects stayed longer time than the healthy subjects did in phase 2(From the initiation of knee extension to the reversal of trunk flexion to trunk extension)(t=-1.01, p=.04). The healthy subjects showed longer time than the stroke subjects in phase 3(from the reversal of trunk motion to extension to full standing position). The healthy subjects displayed larger value of center of mass in anterioposterior direction than stroke subjects(t=5.79, p=0.05). The center of mass in the mediolateral direction did not change during the completion of movement. However, the center of mass in the anterioposterior direction began to increase throughout the completion of movement. The center of mass in the vertical direction increased extensively in phase 3. The significant difference was not found in the maximum dorsiflexion in ankle, the initiation angle of knee, and the minimum angle of hip between stroke and healthy subjects. Even though statistical results did not show any significant angle difference in the lower extremity, the patterns of the change in the knee and hip angle during rising from a chair were different. The stroke subjects showed smaller angle of knee extension than the healthy subjects in phase 3. The stroke subjects flexed their trunk more than the healthy subjects in phase 2.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.463-471
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of muscle imbalance on motion of back squat. The isokinetic muscle strength of the 8 subjects was recorded for the knee flexion/extension by the cybex 770 dynamometer. Each subject performed 3 back squats with the long barbell with an intensity of 25% body weight(BW), 50%BW, 100%BW, 125%BW. During the back squat through the recorded kinematic data the subjects' maximum flexion and extension knee angle, center of mass displacement and V-COP were calculated for evaluation of the stability of the movement. For the statistical analysis independent t-test was used. Knee flexion angle and COM displacement are dominated by the reciprocal muscle ratio. V-COP factor was dominated by bilateral extension deficit. Based on the results we can know that as the intensity of the squat increased to a level control was difficult because the muscles' imbalance influenced the movement.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.79-88
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• 2019

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the peak torques of the knee and ankle joint and local stability of the lower extremity's joints, and muscle activation patterns of the lower extremity's muscles between fallers and non-fallers in the elderly women during walking. Method: Four elderly women (age: $74.5{\pm}5.2yrs.$; height: $152.1{\pm}5.6cm$; mass: $55.3{\pm}5.4kg$; preference walking speed: $1.19{\pm}0.06m/s$) who experienced falls within six months since experiment had been conducted (falls group) and thirty-six subjects ($74.2{\pm}3.09yrs.$; height: $153.6{\pm}4.9cm$; mass: $56.7{\pm}6.4kg$; preference walking speed: $1.24{\pm}0.10m/s$) who had no experience in falls (non-falls group) within this periods participated in this study. They were measured torque peaks of the knee and ankle joint using a Human Norm and while they were walking on a treadmill at their natural pace, kinematic variables and EMG signals were collected with using a 3-D motion capture system and a wireless EMG system, respectively. Lyapunov Exponent (LyE) was determined to observe the dynamic local stability of the lower extremity's joints, and muscles activation and their co-contraction index were also analysed from EMG signals. Hypotheses between falls and non-falls group were tested using paired t-test and Mann-Whitey. Level of significance was set at p<.05. Results: Local dynamic stability in the adduction-abduction movement of the knee joint was significantly lower in falling group than non-falling group (p<.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, muscles which act on the abduction-adduction movement of the knee joint need to be strengthened to prevent from potential falls during walking. However, a small number of samples for fallers make it difficult to generalize the results of this study.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2019

Objective: Degenerative knee arthritis is the most common disease that occurs in older people. Constriction-induced movement therapy (CIMT) has been reported to be as an effective treatment for the impairments, such as asymmetric weight-bearing and reduced balance that occurs after receiving a total knee replacement (TKR). Game-based rehabilitation training for persons with TKR is interesting and provides a variety of feedback. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Thirty-six subjects with TKR were randomly assigned to either the CIMT game training (n=12), general game training (n=12), or the control (n=12) group. Each group underwent twelve sessions (30 min/d, 3 d/wk for 4 weeks). In the CIMT game training group, the application of CIMT adjusted the weight of the pressure delivered from the two boards used in Wii games. In the general game training group, the game was played without adjusting the weight of pressure. The game training used the Wii Fit's Ski Slalom application. Subjects were assessed with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. Results: All three groups showed significant improvements in pain, stiffness and physical function, total WOMAC scores, and ABC scores after the intervention (p<0.05). Significant differences were observed in physical function, total WOMAC scores, and ABC scores of the CIMT game training group compared with the other groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: The CIMT game training and general game training exhibited improvements on stiffness, but the CIMT game training exhibited a larger effect on lower extremity function and balance confidence levels.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.295-306
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of robot-assisted gait training on the active ranges of motion, gait abilities, and biomechanical characteristics of gait in patients who underwent lower extremity surgery, and to verify the effectiveness and clinical usefulness of robot-assisted gait training. Methods: This study was conducted on 14 subjects who underwent lower extremity surgery. The subjects participated in robot-assisted gait training for 2 weeks. The active ranges of motion of the lower extremities were evaluated, and gait abilities were assessed using 10-m and 2-min walk tests. An STT Systems Inertial Measurement Unit was used to collect data on biomechanical characteristics during gait. Spatiotemporal parameters were used to measure cadence, step length, and velocity, and kinematic parameters were used to measure hip and knee joint movement during gait. Results: Significant improvements in the active ranges of motion of the hip and knee joints (flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction) and in the 10-m and 2-min walk test results were observed after robot-assisted gait training (p < 0.05). In addition, biomechanical characteristics of gait, spatiotemporal factors (cadence, step length, and velocity), and kinematic factors (gait hip flexion-extension, internal rotation-external rotation angle, and knee joint flexion-extension) were also significantly improved (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study are of clinical importance as they demonstrate that robot-assisted gait training can be used as an effective intervention method for patients who have undergone lower extremity surgery. Furthermore, the findings of this study are clinically meaningful as they expand the scope of robot-assisted gait training, which is currently mainly applied to patients with central nervous system conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

PURPOSE: This study investigated the effect that an elastic therapeutic taping treatment given to patients with chronic ankle instability had on the vertical ground reaction force, center of pressure, and range of motion in the ankle, knee and hip joints, during a Cross-cutting movement from landing. METHODS: This study analyzed 12 able-bodied adults and 12 patients with chronic ankle instability classified by using the Cumberland tool in the motion analysis laboratory, Hanseo University. The experiment was conducted under two conditions elastic taping and no treatment. In order to analyze the difference between the groups. An independent t-test was performed at p>.01. RESULTS: Plying an elastic therapeutic taping to the patients with chronic ankle instability significantly decreased the range of joint motion in the inversion of the ankle joint, the flexion of the knee joint, and the flexion and internal rotation of the hip joint during a cross-cutting movement from landing in comparison with the able-bodied adults p<.01. This restriction in the range of motion decreased the center-of-pressure trajectory length of patients with chronic ankle instability p>.01. CONCLUSION: An elastic therapeutic taping treatment given to patients with chronic ankle instability causes ankle stability to increase during a cross-cutting movement from landing.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.391-395
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• 2011

To investigate the anticipatory effect on landing patterns during side-cutting maneuver, thirteen healthy female elite college soccer players participated in this study. Three-dimensional knee kinematics, effective mass and correlation between both these were measured and analyzed using a motion analysis and force plates. Each testing session included anticipated tasks, $45^{\circ}$ side-cutting tasks (AC), followed by a set of unexpected side-cutting (UC) in a random order. Knee flexion/extension, valgus/varus and internal/external rotation angles and effect mass were compared by using paired t-test. Also, correlation analysis was performed to identify the relationship between knee angles and effective mass. Effective mass during UC was greater than that during AC. Effective mass and maximum knee flexion angle were positively correlated during AC and not during UC. Based on the relationship between effective mass and knee flexion angle in AC, shock absorption can be controlled by knee joint flexion in pre-predicted movement condition. However, effective mass can not be controlled by knee flexion in UC condition. The unexpected load affects were more irregular on the knee joint, which may be one of the injury mechanisms of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in female soccer players.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.229-238
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the immediate effects of various contract-relax (CR) techniques on the peck force and passive range of motion (ROM) of knee extension. Methods: This study recruited 17 adult males and females who obtained below $90^{\circ}$ in straight leg raising. The subjects randomly performed one of three different CR techniques (direct CR, indirect CR, and modified CR) on the right knee extension four times per day for three days. The subjects' peck force during each CR and their passive knee extension on the hip at a $90^{\circ}$ flexed position before and after each CR were measured. Results: The peck force was significantly higher in the direct and modified CR than in the indirect CR. The ROM in the passive knee extension significantly increased after direct and indirect CR. Comparing between each CR, the passive knee extension range was significantly more improved in the direct and indirect CR than in the modified CR. Conclusion: Direct and indirect CR are more effective than modified CR in the ROM of passive knee extension. The study results suggest that the modified CR did not have the same effect on the ROM of the knee extension as the direct and indirect CR and that further research is needed to recruit more subjects and to determine the effects on different muscles after modified CR.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.814-823
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• 2011

Nowadays many neurological diseases such as stroke and Parkinson diseases are continually increasing. Orthotic devices as well as exoskeletons have been widely developed for supporting movement assistance and therapy of patients. Robotic knee orthosis can compensate stiff-knee gait of the paralyzed limb and can provide patients consistent assistance at wearable environments. With keeping a robotic orthosis wearable, however, it is not easy to develop a compact and safe actuator with fast rotation and high torque for consistent supports of patients during walking. In this paper, we propose a novel kinematic model for a robotic knee orthosis to drive a knee joint with independent actuation during swing and stance phases, which can allow an actuator with fast rotation to control swing motions and an actuator with high torque to control stance motions, respectively. The suggested kinematic model is composed of a hamstring device with a slide-crank mechanism, a quadriceps device with five-bar/six-bar links, and a patella device for knee covering. The quadriceps device operates in five-bar links with 2-dof motions during swing phase and is changed to six-bar links during stance phase by the contact motion to the patella device. The hamstring device operates in a slider-crank mechanism for entire gait cycle. The kinematics and velocity/force relations are analyzed for the quadriceps and hamstring devices. Finally, the adequate actuators for the suggested kinematic model are designed based on normal gait requirements. The suggested kinematic model will allow a robotic knee orthosis to use compact and light actuators with full support during walking.