• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.36-42
• /
• 2004

Evidence based physical therapy interventions for this patient was applied in 15 clinical sessions. Considering the patient's two main impairments, two physical therapy interventions were delivered with WOMAC index outcome measurement. From this case report, I observed that a combined physical therapy interventions consisting of manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and TENS Unit in patients with knee osteoarthritis may result in decreased pain, stiffness and increased physical function.

• Physical Therapy Korea
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.65-71
• /
• 2021

Background: The hamstring is a muscle that crosses two joints, that is the hip and knee, and its flexibility is an important indicator of physical health in its role in many activities of daily living such as sitting, walking, and running. Limited range of motion (ROM) due to hamstring tightness is strongly related to back pain and malfunction of the hip joint. High-frequency diathermy (HFD) therapy is known to be effective in relaxing the muscle and increasing ROM. Objects: To investigate the effects of HFD on active knee extension ROM and hamstring tone and stiffness in participants with hamstring tightness. Methods: Twenty-four participants with hamstring tightness were recruited, and the operational definition of hamstring tightness in this study was active knee extension ROM of below 160° at 90° hip flexion in the supine position. HFD was applied to the hamstring for 15 minutes using the WINBACK device. All participants were examined before and after the intervention, and the results were analyzed using a paired t-test. The outcome measures included knee extension ROM, the viscoelastic property of the hamstring, and peak torque for passive knee extension. Results: The active knee extension ROM significantly increased from 138.8° ± 9.9° (mean ± standard deviation) to 143.9° ± 10.4° after the intervention (p < 0.05), while viscoelastic property of the hamstring significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Also, the peak torque for knee extension significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Application of HFD for 15 minutes to tight hamstrings immediately improves the active ROM and reduces the tone, stiffness, and elasticity of the muscle. However, further experiments are required to examine the long-term effects of HFD on hamstring tightness including pain reduction, postural improvement around the pelvis and lower extremities, and enhanced functional movement.

• Physical Therapy Korea
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.82-89
• /
• 2007

The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) is a valid and widely used instrument for the assessment of osteoarthritis patients. In this study, data was obtained from the out-patients with painful osteoarthritis of the knee. One hundred-three out-patients were interviewed by physical therapists. In an exploratory way, a Korean version of the KWOMAC was analyzed for unidimensionality, item separation, and item difficulty using the Winsteps programs. Ninety-five patients with osteoarthritis of the knee over 65 years were analyzed for Rash analysis. In the analysis several functional items poorly fit to the model. These items included "heavy domestic duties" and "standing". In the pain domain, one item ("at night while in bed") did not fit the model. In the stiffness domain one item ("after sitting, lying, or resting later in the day") did not fit the model. Although 4 items from the 3 domains (pain, stiffness, function domain) do not fit well, the KWOMAC domains were confirmed by Rasch analysis. Thus the KWOMAC needs to be further examined before it can be used to properly determine the health status of the elderly with OA.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.26-35
• /
• 2007

The purpose are to demonstrate the pain, stiffness, and physical function by the Korean Western Ontario MacMaster University(KWOMAC) score of the patients with varus deformity osteoarthritis of the knee after treatment period. Twenty outpatients with knee osteoarthritis(OA) were randomized and divided into the control(n=10) and wedge(n=10) groups. The remission scores of the KWOMAC index of severity for knee OA were compared between the groups. The result of repeated two-way ANOVA's revealed that a contact lateral-wedged insole with strapping produced significantly differences in the pain and physical function score between groups after treatment period(P<0.05), but it was not significant differences in the stiffness score between groups(P>0.05). These results suggest that the pain relief and improvement in function reported by patients with osteoarthritis while using lateral-wedged insole with strapping may be achieved by a reduction in external varus moment and medial compartment load.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.93-101
• /
• 2023

PURPOSE: The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis (WOMAC) index has been used to measure the outcome of total knee replacement (TKR), but studies on its reliability and validity are limited. The present study examined the reliability and validity of this index for patients with knee osteoarthritis who underwent TKR. METHODS: Seventy-one inpatients and outpatients who underwent bilateral TKR for knee osteoarthritis were included in this study. The pain assessment scale and WOMAC index were used to evaluate the participants every two weeks to examine the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability scores for pain, stiffness, and physical function were .75-.92, .85-.90, and .75-.95, respectively. The corresponding intraclass correlation coefficients were .75-.88, .76-.88, and .71-.95, respectively. The internal consistency score in the first and second examinations was .92. Furthermore, the construct validity scores for pain, stiffness, and physical function were .83, .41, and .58, respectively. CONCLUSION: The application of the WOMAC index in patients who underwent TKR showed high test-retest reliability and internal consistency with the use of the WOMAC index and good validity with the use of the pain assessment scale.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
• /
• 2010.11a
• /
• pp.653-654
• /
• 2010

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.134-138
• /
• 2022

Distal femur osteotomy (DFO) is a controlled surgical break of the femur performed to allow realignment of the limb. Redistribution of the load aims to correct the abnormal mechanical weight-bearing axes in patients with abnormal alignment of the lower extremities, and degenerative changes in the knee joint. This report describes a complex Korean medicine treatment for a patient complaining of knee pain and stiffness following a DFO. Post-operative care for the patient lasted 78 days with treatment including pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping therapy, and physiotherapy. The effectiveness of the treatments was evaluated using the numerical rating scale, range of motion of the knee, and by physical examination. After treatment, these evaluation indicators improved, suggesting that the complex Korean medicine treatment received by the patient was an appropriate treatment for knee pain and stiffness following a DFO.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.77-91
• /
• 2011

This study experimentally evaluated the seismic performance of steel knee braced frame structures with energy dissipation mechanism. A series of cyclic load tests were conducted on the steel moment resisting frames and the proposed knee braced frames. Test results validated that the demand in the beam-to-column connection designs was alleviated by the proposed design method. Test results also showed that the strength and stiffness of the proposed design were effectively enhanced. Comparisons in energy dissipation between the steel moment resisting frames and the steel knee braced frames further justified the applicability of the proposed method.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.34-40
• /
• 2008

Purpose: We defined osteoarthritis of the knee as knee pain and crepitus in over 40 years old. The usual clinical manifestation include pain, stiffness, crepitus and loss of function. Methods: We studied 40 cases of the degenerative arthritis of knee clinically. The body mass index(BMI, weight(kg)/height($m^2$) was used as a measure of obesity. Pain self assessment scale by Million Index in according to age, occupation, BMI. Results: Gender by pain self assessment scale was 6.5 in male and 6.6 in female(P<0.05). The prevalence rates obese was 40%. Occupation by pain self assessment scale was 7.0 in Sitting and 5.7 in Standing(P<0.05). Prevalence was increased with age by pain self assessment scale in aged 40-69 years. Conclusion: It has been known that the obesity is one of the predispsing factors of the primary degenerative arthritis of knee. A flexion weight bearing view of the knee obtained at $30^{\circ}$ to $40^{\circ}$ of the joint flexion may be more sensitive in assessing damages to hyaline cartilage because the knee flexion is an important component of the stance phase.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
• /
• 2010.11a
• /
• pp.651-652
• /
• 2010