• PNF and Movement
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2015

Purpose: Abdominal breathing exercises are recommended to activate the breathing muscles and the pelvic floor muscles, as well as to increase postural alignment during exhalation. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of improving abdominal muscle strength on menstrual pain in women in their twenties using abdominal breathing exercises. Method: In this study, 32 female university students were included as the subjects. The subjects were divided into two groups based on the area of menstrual pain: lumbar pain (n=16) and lower abdomen pain (n=16). The abdominal breathing positions were divided into two positions, which included a hook lying position and hip and knee flexions at $90^{\circ}$ in the supine position. Exercises were used to strengthen the abdominal muscles during exhalation. Four sets of the exercises were completed three times a week over the course of eight weeks. The degree of pain was measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Muscle thickness was measured using an ultrasound. Result: The thickness of the transverse abdominis (TrA) and internal oblique (IO) increased in the lower abdomen pain group. However, thickness of the external oblique (EO) did not increased following abdominal breathing. No significant difference in posture was identified in the lower abdomen group. TrA thickness increased significantly in the lumbar pain group. However, thickness did not increase significantly in the lumbar pain group. In addition, the lumbar pain group experienced no significant effects on posture. IO thickness increased following hip and knee flexions at $90^{\circ}$ in the lumbar pain group. Menstrual pain decreased following intervention in both groups. There was no significant difference in the degree of pain reduction between both groups. Conclusion: As examples of alternative medicine, abdominal breathing exercises may be effective in decreasing menstrual pain.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.478-491
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine whether alcohol drinking patterns (drinking frequency, drinking quantity, binge drinking frequency and risk drinking) were related to obesity and abdominal obesity. Methods: A total of 6,749 adult men from the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to determine if obesity and abdominal obesity was associated with alcohol consumption patterns after adjusting for covariates. Results: No relationship was observed between drinking frequency and obesity. The odds ratio vs. nondrinkers for obesity was significantly low for individuals who consumed 5 to 6 drinks per typical occasion and monthly binge drinking. However ${\geq}7$ drinks per typical occasion resulted in a significantly higher odds for obesity relative to nondrinkers. The odds ratio vs. nondrinkers for abdominal obesity was significantly lower in response to monthly binge drinking, whereas ${\geq}10$ drinks per typical occasion and daily binge drinking resulted in significantly higher odds for abdominal obesity. Risk drinking had higher odds for abdominal obesity than non-risk drinking. Conclusion: Although moderate alcohol drinkers have a lower prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity than nondrinkers, higher drinking quantity and frequent binge drinking are indicators of a higher prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in men.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.264-271
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• 2019

Background: The purpose of this study was to redefine the location of acupoints in the lower abdomen by taking actual thoracic and abdominal measurements. Methods: Measurements of the length and height of the thorax, and both the upper and lower abdominal area were compared to standard values defined by the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region (WHO/WPRO), and medical text books such as Miraculous Pivot, and A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion. These measurements were used to redefine the standard of 1 cun, and the cun value of the lower abdomen. Results: Of the 60 studies screened, all studies used the cun measurement system. Considerable variation in the localization of acupoints in the lower abdominal area were detected. The average measurement of a typical male lower abdomen was within 6.33 cun to 6.34 cun. From this data, 6.5 cun appears to be more accurate than the current standardized length of 5 cun. The standardized index values of the width of the 4 fingers, and the distance from the lateral prominence from the greater trochanter to the popliteal crease (Fm), appeared to apply to only males, as defined by the WHO/WPRO. Conclusion: Further studies on standardizing the index measurements for the lower abdominal area are necessary. For males, the more accurate standardized length of the lower abdomen was 6.5 cun, whereas for females, the measurement would typically be longer than 6.5 cun.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Medicine & Therapy Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.31-37
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of closed chain lower limb exercise with abdominal breathing exercise on stroke patients and their effects on trunk control ability and balance. Method: The subjects were 40 stroke patients, 19 patients in the experimental group and 18 patients in the control group. The period was 5 weeks, 5 times a week, 30 minutes per session. The experimental group was subjected to a closed chain lower limb exercise with abdominal breathing exercise and the control group was subjected to a closed chain lower limb exercise. The posture assessment scale for stroke(PASS), trunk impairment scale(TIS) were used for trunk adjustment ability, and the balance ability was measured as center of pressure(COP) and limit of stability(LOS). Results: Results of this study showed that the PASS and TIS test significantly increased the experimental group compared to the control group. As a result of comparing the changes of pre and post intervention intervals between the two groups, the TIS test was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group, but the LOS test was not significantly increased in the experimental group. Conclusion: Closed chain lower limb exercise with abdominal breathing exercise showed a significant improvement in the trunk control and balance ability of the stroke patients compared to the closed chain lower limb exercise without the abdominal breathing exercise.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.217-220
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was to investigate the differences abdominal muscles activities of according to hip adductor contraction levels 20% (mild), 50% (moderate), and 70% (strong) of MVIC on during bilateral lower extremity raising exercise on supine. Methods: The subjects of the study were a total of 39 persons including 23 healthy males and 16 females, who performed bilateral lower extremity raising exercise in 20%, 50%, 70% MVIC hip contraction. Muscle activities were measured by using S-EMG in RA (rectus abdominis), IO (internal oblique), and EO (external oblique). Results: Muscle activity of the internal oblique abdominal muscle and external oblique abdominal muscle, their activities were also greatest with the adductor contraction size at 70% and there was statistically significant difference when compared with the adductor contraction size at 20% and 50% (p<0.05). As for the rectus abdominis muscle according to the size of contraction of the adductor was greatest at 70%, without statistically significant difference (p>0.05). Conclusion: bilateral lower extremity raising with strong hip joint adductor contraction was effective exercise to strengthen abdominal muscles. If subjects could not perform strong hip adductor contraction, moderate contraction is effective abdominal muscle contraction exercise. The contraction size of the adductor is small, weak contraction may trigger middle level contraction and therefore appropriate application of the exercise program of bilateral leg raising may result in great effect as a lumbar stabilization exercise.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.384-386
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• 2005

There have been several reports about abdominal pain due to discitis in children or thoracic disc herniation. However, none of them could verify causal relationship between disc disease and abdominal pain clearly. The authors report a patient with discogenic abdominal pain who had disc degeneration at lower lumbar level without definite protrusion or any evidence of inflammation. We could reproduce the abdominal pain by using discography. The patient was treated by percutaneous disc decompression successfully.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.181-188
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• 1989

Neurolytic splanchnic nerve block is an effective method for the relief of pain of upper abdominal cancer. Nine cases of intractable upper abdominal cancer pain were treated by splanchnic nerve block with absolute alcohol (25 ml) at the pain clinic of Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, during a 19 month period from March, 1988 to September, 1989. The group included six patients with stomach cancer, two patients with pancreatic cancer, and one patient with hepatobiliary cancer. We used fluoroscopy in all cases of alcohol spianchnic nerve block to determine both, the position of the needle tip, and the spread of the neurolytic solution. Of the 9 patients, 6 patients had excellent pain relief, and 3 patients who had combined upper abdominal and lower back pain had relieved upper abdominal pain only, but remaining lower back pain. Of the 9 patients', 5 patients had excellent pain relief through the patients remaining life (1-2 months) in which follow up was possible.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.938-945
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the risk of chronic disease as predicted by abdominal obesity in Korean adult females. Data on 2,738 adult females aged 40~64 yrs was obtained from the 2013~2014 Korean National Health Nutrition Examination Survey. The subjects were divided into normal (n=1,835), abdominal obesity (AO, n=73), and BMI-diagnosed abdominal obesity (BMI-AO, n=505) groups based on the NCEP-ATP III guidelines and by applying the KSSO definition regarding waist circumference. Triglyceride blood levels, fasting blood sugar levels, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were higher in the AO and BMI-AO groups than in the normal group. The HDL-cholesterol levels of subjects in the two abdominal groups were lower as compared to those of subjects in the normal group. The mean adequacy ratio was lower among subjects in the AO and BMI-AO groups than among those in the normal group. Moreover, the NAR and INQ scores of some micro-nutrients in both of the abdominal obesity groups were lower than those in the normal group. Both the AO and BMI-AO groups showed significantly higher risks of hypertriglycemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, hypoHDL-cholesterolemia, and metabolic syndrome than were shown by the normal group. Notably, as compared to the normal group, the AO group showed higher risk of hypercholesterolemia, hyperLDL-cholesterolemia, hypertriglycemia, and metabolic syndrome than did the BMI-AO group. This finding suggests that it is essential to develop prevention programs including programs for those with abdominal obesity despite their having a BMI within the normal range.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.167-176
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• 2017

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of core and abdominal muscle-strengthening exercises on muscle activity in the lower extremity on unexpected perturbation. Methods: Twenty subjects were randomly divided into the core exercise group (n=10) or the abdominal muscles strengthening group (n=10). The two groups performed their exercises during three sessions a week for a total of four weeks. The muscle activity in the lower muscles (rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius) was assessed using surface electromyography (EMG) and normalized maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) before and after the exercises. Results: An increase in the tibialis anterior activity after the core and abdominal muscles strengthening exercises was found after four weeks. A significant difference in the pre- and post-exercise was found. The gastrocnemius muscle activity increased in the core exercise group more than the abdominal muscles strengthening group. However, the difference was not significant. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the core and abdominal muscles strengthening exercises increased the tibialis anterior muscle activity. It is expected to help make more balance ability that affect who has abdominal muscles weakness.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.329-335
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• 1997

The final pattern of the skeletal muscle of a vertebrate depends on the position-specific behavior of the muscle precursor cells during early developmental process and the abdominal muscle is made of cells which migrate a relatively long distance from their original tissue, myotome of dorsal mesoderm. We report the spatia-temporal migration pattern of abdominal muscle in Xenopus laevis by in situ hybridization and immunohistological studies. Shortly after hatching tadpole stage (stage 31/32), a group of myotomal cells detaches from the lower tip of the second somite and migrates ventrally to the lower position of abdomen. At stage 34/35, a second cell group migrates away from the third somite. Total 7 myotomal cell groups migrate ventrally one by one from the second to eighth myotome along their own pathways through the cell free space located between epidermis and subepidermal layer of the abdomen. During migration, the sizes of the cell groups (abdominal muscle anlagens) are increased to several tens fold. Around stage 40 all the abdominal muscle anlagens reaches their final positions and are interconnected side by side rostrocaudally. They are also connected to other types of muscles, forming a large multisegmented abdominal muscle. Heat shock study suggests that the disruption of segmentation of somites does not block the detachment of abdominal muscle anlagen, though the treatment gave stage- and dosagedependent effects on the migration speed.