• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.3-9
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• 1986

This research is aimed at examining age-related changes of postural sway when people stand upright, examining external effects which can be exerted upon the postural sway (experiment 1), and also analyzing specific changing characters of posture-control by sudden impacts (experiment 2). The total number of subjects was 115, who are in twenties through seventies and 75 of them were participated in experiment 2. In experimen 1, the subjects were examined for 25 seconds respectively while standing upright with both feet and with eyes opened, standing upright with both feet and with eyes closed, and standing upright with a single foot and with eyes opened. In experiment 2, only while standing upright with both feet and with eyes opened they were examined for 5 seconds. Main findings were as follows: 1. In the single-foot standing position, the growing older exerted more important effects upon the fluctuation length and area of the center of gravity than in the both-foot standing position. 2. The standard deviation was increasing with age in the fluctuation length and the fluctuation area of the center of gravity. 3. There were no significant differences in daily variation, temperature change, and muscle burdening. 4. The recuperation from the postural sway by external impacts was so slow with age. 5. There were little differences in decrease frequencies among the subjects but younger persons.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.21-27
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• 2020

PURPOSE: This study investigated the efficacy of interferential current (IFC) treatment on the improvement of pain, disability, and balance in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. METHODS: A double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted with 40 patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups: the IFC treatment group (n = 20) and the placebo treatment group (n = 20). The IFC group received 30 minutes of IFC treatment on the lumbar region, while the placebo group received IFC treatment without real electrical stimulation. The intervention was administered five days a week for two weeks. RESULTS: The primary outcomes of resting pain and pain during functional movement were measured by a visual analogue scale. The secondary measurements included the Oswestry disability index (ODI) for low back pain and postural sway. The measurements were performed before and after the two-week intervention period. Compared to the placebo treatment group, the IFC treatment group showed significantly greater improvement in pain during anterior trunk flexion in the standing position (p = .029), ODI (p = .039), and postural sway when subjects stood with their eyes closed (p = .010) at the end of the intervention. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that IFC treatment can improve pain, disability, and postural sway, thus, highlighting the benefits of somatosensory stimulation from IFC.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.19-27
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• 2009

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine changes of postural sway and weight distribution after cooling the foot. Methods: Ten men with no history of sensory, neurological and orthopedic disorders were participated in this study. They performed four methods: (1) non-treated feet group(control group); (2) both feet treated group; (3) right foot treated group; and (4) left foot treated group. The feet of them were put into ice box, then they stood more than forty seconds on EMED system with bared feet. Data on the moving length, velocity, and maximum velocity of COP and the weight distributions during thirty seconds only were measured in standing position. Results: (1) The moving length and velocity of COP were significant difference between control group and both feet treated group only(p<0.05). (2) The maximum velocity of COP was significant difference among control group and all experimental groups. (3) The changes of weight distribution were significant difference among control group and right/left foot treated groups. Conclusions: Cooling the foot led to increased postural sway and changed weight distribution patterns.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.25-33
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• 2023

Purpose : Stabilization exercise and respiratory muscle training are used to train trunk muscles that affect postural control and respiratory function. However, there have been no studies that combine stabilization exercise and respiratory muscle training. The purpose of this study is to investigate effects of stabilization exercise with and without respiratory muscle training on respiratory function and postural sway. Methods : Fifteen healthy adults were recruited for this experiment. All the subjects performed stabilization exercise with and without respiratory muscle training. For stabilization exercise with respiratory muscle training, the subjects sat on a gym ball wearing a stretch sensor. The subjects inspire maximally as long as possible during lifting one foot off the ground, alternately for 30 seconds. The stretch sensor was placed on both anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS), and the stretch sensor was used to monitor inspiration. For stabilization exercise without respiratory muscle training, the subjects sat on a gym ball and lifted one foot off the ground, without respiratory muscle training. Kinovea program used to investigate postural sway tracking during exercise. The maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximum expiratory pressure (MEP) were measured using a spirometer to investigate changes of respiratory muscle strength before and after exercise. A paired t-test was used to determine significant differences postural sway tracking, MIP, and MEP between stabilization exercise with and without respiratory muscle training. Results : There were significantly lower a distance of postural sway tracking during stabilization exercise with respiratory muscle training, compared with stabilization exercise without respiratory muscle training (p<.05). The MIP and MEP were significantly increased after stabilization exercise with respiratory muscle training compared with before stabilization exercise with respiratory muscle trianing (p<.05). Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that stabilization exercise with repiratory muscle training would be recommended to improve postural control and respiratory muscle strength.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.423-432
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• 2012

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate balance changes in young patients with neck pain by comparing postural sway velocity and velocity moment between young patients with neck pain and healthy subjects. METHODS: The cross-sectional study enrolled fifteen young patients with over 3-month duration of the neck pain and twelve healthy subjects between the ages of 20 and 30 years old. All subjects were measured their postural sway velocity and velocity moment during quiet standing with eyes open and eyes closed conditions. We compared the differences of postural sway velocity and velocity moment between neck pain patients and healthy subjects, and between eye open and eye close. RESULTS: Significant differences were evident in the anteroposterior and mediolateral sway velocity, and velocity moment of center-of-pressure (COP) between patients with neck pain and healthy subjects (p<.05), and in patients with neck pain in the eyes open and eyes closed conditions (p<.05). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the balance of young patients with neck pain was worse than healthy subjects during quiet standing, and was especially lessened in the absence of vision. The finding may inform management program to decrease the balance deficits in young patients with neck pain.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.381-397
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• 2001

In the patients with hemiplegia caused by stroke and TBI. postural sway is increased and open displaced laterally over the non-affected leg, reflecting asymmetry in weight bearing on lower extremities during standing balance. Recovery of symmetric weight bearing and postural stability is an important aim in physical therapy. Plastic AFO has been used for hemiplegic patients in order to help their abnormal walking patterns. Past studies have mainly focused on the AFO influences on hemiplegic walking patterns without balance function approaches. The purpose of this study was to identify the immediate effects of plastic AFO and shoes on the static balance in hemiplegic patients. The scale for static balance were weight bearing on affected leg(%), sway area(mm2), sway path(mm), maximal sway velocity(mm/s), anteroposterior sway angle($^{\circ}$ ), and lateral angle($^{\circ}$ ). Seventeen hemiplegic patients participated in this study: 13 men and 4 women, with an average age of 50.18 years. Static balance was measured using BPM(balance performance monitor; dataprint software version 5.3) under four standing condition namely bare-foot standing. standing in shoes, standing with AFO, and standing in shoes with AFO. In order to assure the statistical significance of the results, an one-way ANOVA, the independent t-test. and a pearson's correlation were applied at the .05 level of significant. The results of this study were as follows: 1) There were statistically significant differences in weight bearing(%) on the static balance between affected leg and non-affected leg(p<.01). 2) There were statistically significant differences in sway reverse frequence(Hz) in standing with AFO between affected leg and non-affected leg(p<.05). 3) Sway area(mm2) on standing in shoes with AFO was lower than bare-foot standing(p<.05), Lateral sway angle($^{\circ}$ ) on standing in shoes with AFO was lower than bare-foot standing and standing in shoes(p<.05). 4) Weight bearing in affected leg was not significantly correlated with postural sway.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2010

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between postural sway and asymmetric weight-bearing for fall prevention in patients with stroke. Methods : Fifty-three individuals with hemiplegic stroke and 57 healthy older adults c

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2009

Purpose: We investigated the changes that effects of load stimulation (LS) on static balance and muscle activities in normal healthy elders and chronic stroke patients. Methods: Subjects were instructed twenty normal healthy elders (8 men and 12 women) and ten chronic stroke patients (4 men and 6 women). They were tested while standing on a force platform under two conditions; LS, no LS were applied in random order. Prior to testing, adhesive surface EMG electrodes were fastened to the skin overlying the right (non-paralytic side in stroke patient) bellies of tibialis anterior (TA) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles. They were assessed on postural sway and %MVC (Maximum voluntary contraction) of TA and LG. Results: Participants showed that the application of LS brought about a decrease in postural sway as expressed by average sway path and velocity. %MVC of TA and LG were increased. The application of LS to normal and stroke patients decreases postural sway during quite stance. Conclusion: These findings the application of LS to normal and stroke patients improves static balance.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.292-298
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of dual tasks on balance and postural control during standing in patients with cerebellar ataxia (CA). It was hypothesized that CA patients would exhibit different sway characteristics of the center of mass (COM) depending on the complexity of the secondary cognitive tasks compared with normal control subjects. Methods: A total of 8 patients with CA and age-matched healthy control subjects participated in this study. They were instructed to perform two balance tasks (non-dual and dual movement) with 3 different complexity of dual tasks. Range, variability, and velocity of COMs were measured. Results: According to the results CA patients showed deficits in balance and postural control with increased dual-task complexity during the static balance task in saggital sway movements. However, there was no significant difference in static balance in frontal sway. With higher difficulty in the cognitive task, CA patients took longer to stabilize their body center, while normal control subjects showed no change between conditions. In addition, CA patients had a greater COM resultant velocity during recovery in the dual-task condition compared with the single-task condition. These findings indicate that CA patients had defendable compensatory strategies in performing dual tasks. Conclusion: In conclusion, CA patients appeared to manage the priority to balance and postural control. Particularly in a situation with a postural threat such as when potential consequences of the loss of stability increase, they appeared to prioritize the control of balance and posture over the performance of the secondary task.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.18-26
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• 2008

The present study was aimed at investigating the postural control ability of volleyball players with functional ankle instability. The subjects were 26 male volleyball players were divided into 2 groups (13 subjects with functional ankle instability and 13 subjects with ankle stability) who could evaluate Questionnaire. All the male participants were tested by a Balance Master System. This study were to measure of static balance ability, dynamic balance ability, motor function the difference between functional ankle instability group and control group. Ankle instability group and stable group in postural sway ($^{\circ}/sec$) on film surface with eye closed in modified clinical test sensory interaction on balance, and left unilateral stance with eye opened and closed were significantly different (p<.05). The ankle instability group and stable group in limit of stability were significantly different (p<.05). The ankle instability group and stable group in left/right rhythmic weight shirt were significantly different (p<.05). The ankle instability group and stable group in turn time (sec) & turn sway ($^{\circ}$) during step/quick turn and end sway ($^{\circ}/sec$) in tandem walk were significantly different (p<.05). This study showed that volleyball players with functional ankle in stability were effected postural control ability by static balance & dynamic balance ability. Further study is needed to measure various athletic with functional ankle instability for clinical application.