• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.156-163
• /
• 2022

Loss of leg muscle and muscle weakness, which are caused by aging, affect muscle function and sense of balance. As a way of preventing seniors from falling, we developed the idea of wearing functional supporters based on graduated compression technique and in the form of a taping supporter. Their impact on power, sense of balance, overcoming fatigue, and subjective wearing sensation was investigated. The following results were obtained. After wearing functional compression supporters, body temperature increased from 24.5 ± 0.5℃ to 26.3 ± 0.6℃. Calf size, which assesses the level of edema, decreased from 26.1 ± 1.8cm to 25.7 ± 1.8cm. The result of dynamic balance test, which helps estimate the fall prevention effect, increased from 6.4 ± 0.9sec to 7.1 ± 0.6sec. Lactate level, which indicates the level of fatigue, decreased from 8.1 ± 0.6mmol/L to 7.3 ± 0.8mmol/L. Standing long jump record, which assesses power, increased from 110.1 ± 3.1cm to 112.0 ± 2.8cm. Standing on one leg with eyes closed, which assesses sense of balance, increased from 4.2 ± 1.1sec to 6.5 ± 0.8sec. Ankle angle, which assesses joint stability, increased from 75.3 ± 4.0° to 80.1 ± 1.7°. In metabolism and physical performance testing, which assesses keep, the score increased from 26.3 ± 1.7 to 28.8 ± 1.2. Muscle supporting score, which assesses joint stability, increased from 7.3 ± 0.6 to 7.8 ± 0.4. In the category of body type, which assesses wearing sensation and body shaping function, the score increased from 5.7 ± 1.4 to 6.4 ± 1.2

• IE interfaces
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.82-88
• /
• 2002

A study was conducted to develop user-centered kitchen furniture and workspace to reduce fatigue and to prevent housewives's disorders such as low back pain and musculoskeletal disorders from housekeeping activities. A questionnaire survey and interview were performed on 150 households those live in 32Pyung-type($105m^2$) apartment in Seoul vicinity. Also actual housekeeping activities for 24 hours were video-taped for further motion analysis. Results of the study revealed that housewives complained the inconvenience and small size of storage space, and worksurface height as the most important problems to be considered for redesign. And they responded, if feasible, sitting is preferred over standing while they are working. After adapting a sit/stand chair in the kitchen, a physiological experiment measuring heart rate(HR) and oxygen consumption($VO_2$) as response variables was conducted to examine the effects of sit/stand chair in reducing physiological demand during housekeeping activities. The results showed that working on sit/stand chair reduced energy expenditures by maximum of 30% and 31.0% in terms of HR and $VO_2$, respectively. Also rearrangement of kitchen structure based on motion analysis showed that walking distance during daily housekeeping activities can be reduced by 5.5% on the average. Hence, it is concluded that adapting a sit/stand chair in the kitchen could reduce fatigue and occupational disorders of housewives from extended housekeeping activities.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.49-55
• /
• 2000

When standing, walking, or running for extended periods of time, fatigue occurs in the legs. Although there are many ways, to release tense or fatigued leg muscles, in the case that there is insufficient time to relax, an easy way to release leg fatigue is using an inclined step (about 3 minutes). This method was more effective than performing stretching exercises as studied. An experiment was conducted on a golf course in the Kangwon province in Korea. Subjects were chosen randomly and consisted of 5 females and 4 males golf caddies. Their main tasks consisted of pulling golf carts to the bottom of a hill for 8 to 10 hours and sometimes lifting and lowering golf clubs during the duration of one day. EMG was measured after work and after using the previously mentioned inclined Steps for the lower legs using ME3000P. This study investigated the types of inclined Steps which would be most effective and appropriate for golf caddies, whether sex difference had any influence existed between male and female workers. The results showed that a step with a $20^{\circ}$ angle was most effective for males and a step with a $25^{\circ}$ angle was most effective for females. Females showed faster recovery from fatigue than males. However, there were no statistical significance between males and females.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.71-82
• /
• 2001

Twisting posture in lifting tasks has been identified as a risk factor of low back pain. However, it has been usually estimated in terms of compressive stress or muscular activity. Thus, this study was conducted to predict the influence on muscular fatigue during lifting simulation. Fifteen young and healthy subjects were recruited and performed isometric trunk exertions during upright standing, two-level flexions and five-level asymmetric twisting conditions. EMG signals from five primary trunk muscles in right part of body were collected during 20sec for 45 different lifting conditions. RMS(root mean square) and MPF(mean power frequency) parameters were used to analyze the EMG signals. Twisting postures were significant in right erector spinae(ERSR), right latissimus dorsi(LATR), right internal oblique(INOR) for muscular activities. Especially, when trunk was $30^{\circ}$ CCW twisting posture. ERSR and INOR activities increased respectively by 11% and 3%. Regarding the trunk muscle fatigue, we found that MPF shifts in twisting posture increased 2.3 and 2.6 times for ERSR and INOR muscles respectively. Therefore, It is probable for workers to suffer from low back disorders when they were exposed to a extreme twisting posture during prolonged lifting. This study suggests NIOSH(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) lifting equation needs the time-duration multiplier in addition to asymmetric multiplier.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.113-119
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference of the pinch strength according to testing posture(standing and sitting) and elbow flexion degree($0^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$, $90^{\circ}$ and $135^{\circ}$). Forty normal young adults(male: 20, female: 20, mean age: $22.68{\pm}2.91$ years) participated in this study. The methods of this study were categorized as follows: 1) One set of measurement was performed on four elbow flexion degrees($0^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$, $90^{\circ}$ and $135^{\circ}$) in two testing postures(standing and sitting) and all subjects were measured for 3 sets testing procedures in every experimental sessions. 2) Pinch strength in various elbow flexion degree was measured after 2 min rest time, and then each test set was repeatedly performed with 5 min rest time to prevent fatigue of muscles involved in the elbow joint. The result was obtained as follow: 1) In standing posture, there was statistically significant difference at $0^{\circ}$ and $45^{\circ}$, $0^{\circ}$ and $90^{\circ}$, $0^{\circ}$ and $135^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$ and $90^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$ and $135^{\circ}$, $90^{\circ}$ and $135^{\circ}$. 2) In sitting posture, there was statistically significant difference at $0^{\circ}$ and $45^{\circ}$, $0^{\circ}$ and $90^{\circ}$, $0^{\circ}$ and $135^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$ and $90^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$ and $135^{\circ}$, $90^{\circ}$ and $135^{\circ}$. 3) Statistically, there was no significant difference between standing and sitting posture in same elbow flexion degree, however pinch strength in standing posture was higher than sitting posture.

• PNF and Movement
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.403-414
• /
• 2020

Purpose: This study examined how performing chin tuck exercises in supine, sitting, and standing positions affects changes in the muscle activity of the neck and shoulder. Methods: Seventeen men and three women with forward head posture participated in the study. The subjects performed the chin tuck exercise using a pressure biofeedback unit. After determining the ideal order for performing the chin tuck exercise in supine, sitting, and standing positions through randomized controlled trials, muscle activity was measured in the dominant-side sternocleidomastoid, scalenus anterior, upper trapezius, and levator scapulae. Muscle activity was measured three times in each muscle for each position, and the average of the three measurements was used for analysis. Results: In this study, the chin tuck exercise performed in a supine position reduced muscle activity of the sternocleidomastoid, scalenus anterior, upper trapezius, and levator scapulae significantly more than performing the exercise in either sitting or standing positions (p < 0.05). No significant difference in muscle activity was observed when the exercise was performed in a sitting position versus a standing position (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Performing a chin tuck exercise in a supine position is more effective for stabilizing the neck and shoulder than performing it in a sitting or standing position, as it reduces excessive tension and fatigue in the neck and shoulder.

• IE interfaces
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.197-208
• /
• 1997

In workplace design, an ergonomic solution should ensure low postural stress in the operator during his/her work. Stress caused by awkward working postures of the trunk, shoulders and legs can result in fatigue, discomfort, musculo-skeletal disorders and nerve entrapment syndromes. Since discomfort and musculo-skeletal disorders are both related to exposure to biomechanical load on the musculo-skeletal system, minimization of discomfort will contribute to reduction of the risk for musculo-skeletal disorders as well. Therefore, in this study, perceived discomfort on the human body joints was measured in the standing postures using the magnitude estimation in order to have a standardized numerical scale for joint discomfort. Nine healthy graduate students participated voluntarily in the laboratory study. The results revealed that perceived discomfort of all the joints increased as the joints deviated from neutral position. Especially, it showed drastic increment on perceived discomfort when deviation from neutral position in each human body joint increased from 75% to 100%. in terms of relative range of motion(R0M). On the basis of these experimental results, a preliminary ranking for assessment of stressfulness of non-neutral postures around the human body joints was suggested.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.39-46
• /
• 2016

Loss of postural stability can possibly lead to slip and fall accidents in the number of workplaces and everyday life. This study was aimed to examine the effects of whole body fatigue and partially limited visual field on the ability of maintaining postural balance during quiet standing. A group of twelve healthy male subjects participated in the experiment. Before and after experiencing the whole body fatigue induced by bicycling exercises, the position coordinates of subject's center of pressure (COP) were obtained under the two levels of visual field condition (i.e., open visual field and limited visual field). Four levels of the whole body fatigue examined were rest, 300watt, 600watt, and 900watt. Position coordinates of COPs measured on a force plate were then converted into the total length of postural sway path in both the medio-lateral (ML) direction and the anterior-posterior (AP) direction. Two-way ANOVA result showed that the length of sway path in the AP direction became significantly larger as the whole body fatigue accumulated. Post-hoc test revealed statistically significant differences between rest and 900watt and between 300watt and 900watt. The significant increase of the sway length was also found when the visual field was partially obstructed by the boxes. In the ML direction, however, there was no statistically significant difference of the postural sway in both the AP and ML directions. The results imply that the ability of maintaining postural stability can be reduced significantly due to such tasks along with whole body fatigue. The postural balance can also be impaired by the limited visual field.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.127-133
• /
• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of foam roller (FR) stretching, kinesiotaping (KT), and dynamic stretching (DS) on gait parameters after inducing muscle fatigue in the ankle joint. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The subjects were thirty healthy young adults between the ages of 20 and 31 years at Baekseok University who voluntarily participated in this study. The participants were randomly assigned to either the FR group, KT group, or the DS group after inducing muscle fatigue of the ankle joint. Fatigue induction of the ankle joint muscles was performed by alternating a heel up and down exercise with the standing posture on the ground. The speed was maintained at 40 beats/minute using a metronome. Subsequently, the respective intervention was applied to each group. Gait parameters were measured before and after ankle muscle fatigue induction, and after intervention using the GAITRite system. One-way ANOVA was used to compare gait parameters among groups, while repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare gait parameters within each intervention group. Results: The FR group increased significantly in velocity, step length, and stride length except for cadence after intervention compared to after ankle muscle fatigue induction (p<0.01). Furthermore, the KT group showed significant increases in velocity, cadence, step length, and stride length after intervention, especially in cadence group (p<0.05). All intervention groups showed significant increases in stride length after intervention, especially the DS group (p<0.05). Conclusions: Therefore, we suggest that KT, FR, and DS can be an effective intervention on gait parameters when the ankle joint is unstable and injured.

• Physical Therapy Korea
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.36-44
• /
• 2013

This study aimed to investigate the influence of shoe heel height and muscle fatigue on static and dynamic balance in young women. Thirty women who were used to wearing high heels volunteered to participate in this study. The shoe heel heights were 0 cm and 7 cm. And ankle plantar flexor fatigue was experimentally induced. Static and dynamic balance were measured using the one leg standing test (OLST) and the star excursion balance test (SEBT) in anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions, respectively. Values in the OLST (shoe heel height 0 cm, $28.83{\pm}3.24$ sec to $26.12{\pm}6.13$ sec; and 7 cm, $24.75{\pm}7.09$ sec to $16.86{\pm}9.32$ sec) and the SEBT in anterior (shoe heel height 0 cm, $71.02{\pm}4.57%$ to $69.50{\pm}3.66%$; and 7 cm, $64.17{\pm}3.53%$ to $59.61{\pm}4.06%$) and posteromedial (shoe heel height 0 cm, $92.01{\pm}5.61%$ to $90.38{\pm}7.10%$; and 7 cm, $83.09{\pm}7.29%$ to $76.83{\pm}9.28%$) directions were significantly reduced when fatigue-inducing exercise was performed (p<.05). Furthermore, within these parameters, there were significant interaction effects between shoe heel height and fatigue condition (p<.05). These findings suggest that shoe heel height and muscle fatigue contribute to some changes in static and dynamic balance in young women, probably leading to negative effects on physical function during a variety of activities of daily living.