• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.655-666
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• 2013

PURPOSE: The main objective of this study is observing the effects of the functional postural trunk exercise (FPTE) on deep cranio-cervical flexor (CCF) muscle endurance applied on neck pain patients suffering from the acute whiplash-association disorder (WAD). METHODS: The study was tested with 47 patients with neck pain. All patients were equally treated with the ordinary therapy, only experimental group (n=23) was treated with FPTE: assumption of an upright lumbo-pelvic and spinal postural position, adding a neck lengthening manoeuvre in addition. Patients attended physical therapy for 3 times a week, for 4 weeks. Visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, neck disability index (NDI), range of motion (ROM), were recorded both before and after the intervention. Also muscle activity in the CCF test was employed to analyze the changes between before and after. RESULT: After 4 weeks of training intervention, a remarkable increase in muscle endurance, rotation, extension ROM (p<.05) and decrease in pain and NDI (p<.05) in both groups. Further, the differences between groups were muscle endurance (F=60.350, p<.01), pain, and the left rotation ROM (p<.05). CONCLUSION: From the results, the experimental group had significant the increase in muscle endurance, and the significant decrease in pain. Whilst further research in this category is necessary, these observations suggest that applying exercise in early diagnosis can be of help to treat the neck pain patients suffering from the WAD.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.30-37
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• 2008

Anticipatory postural adjustments are pre-planned by the central nervous system (CNS) before the activation of agonist muscles in the limbs, and minimize postural sway. Most previous studies on this topic have focused on upper-limb movement, and little research has been conducted on lower-limb movement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the recruitment order of left and right trunk muscles during limb movement. Fifteen healthy subjects (10 male, 5 female) were enrolled. Electro-myographic signals were recorded on the muscles of: (1) deltoid, lumbar erector spinae, latissimus dorsi and internal oblique during shoulder flexion, (2) rectus femoris, rectus abdominis, external oblique and internal oblique during hip flexion. During right upper limb flexion, the onset of left erector spinae muscle and left internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of right deltoid by 8.09 ms and 19.83 ms, respectively. But these differences were not significant (p>.05). A similar sequence of activation occurred with lower limb flexion. The onset of left internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of right rectus femoris muscle by 28.29 ms (p<.05). The onset of right internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of left rectus femoris muscles by 23.24 ms (p<.05). The internal oblique muscle was the first activated during limb movement. Our study established the recruitment order of trunk muscles during limb movement, and explained the postural control strategy of the trunk muscles in healthy people. We expect that this study will be used to evaluate patients with an asymmetric recruitment order of muscle activation due to impaired CNS.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.101-110
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• 2019

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyze the effects of virtual reality inspiratory muscle training and conventional inspiratory muscle training on diaphragm movement and pulmonary function in patients with thoracic restriction. METHODS: This study measured diaphragm movement, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and thoracic mobility (upper, middle, and lower trunk) under two different conditions. Forty young women between 19 and 24 years of age who had no history of orthopedic symptoms for the last 6 months were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed virtual reality inspiratory muscle training and diaphragm breathing, and the control group performed conventional inspiratory muscle training and diaphragm breathing. RESULTS: The control group showed a significant increase in all dependent variables except for lower trunk mobility and PEF. The experimental group showed a significant increase in all dependent variables except for lower trunk mobility. Particularly, the experimental group showed significant increases in diaphragm movement (p<.05), FVC (p<.05), FEV1 (p<.05), and PEF (p<.05) relative to the control group. CONCLUSION: We recommend inspiratory muscle training with a virtual reality program over conventional training to improve diaphragm movement and pulmonary function in patients with thoracic restriction.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.5730-5736
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• 2013

The study was conducted to determine the effect of trunk pattern training in proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation(PNF) and weight-shift training on the muscle activity and static balance in patients with hemiplegia due to stroke. Twenty patients with hemiplegia due to stroke were assigned to the trunk pattern training in PNF group(n=10) or weight-shift training group(n=10). Both groups were executed conventional treatment for 5 times per week for 6 weeks 30 minutes per session. Each group performed additional training for 20 minutes. Post training, compared to the weight-shift training group, trunk pattern training in PNF group showed significantly increased on muscle activity of rectus femoris, gastrocnemius and static balance(p<.05). These results support the perceived benefits of trunk pattern training in PNF to augment on the static balance and muscle activity of stroke patients. Therefore, trunk pattern training in PNF is feasible and suitable for stroke patients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.117-125
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• 2013

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of trunk muscle strengthening exercises on balance performance of sitting posture and upper extremity function, targeting the children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. METHODS: 20 children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy were sampled at random and the tests were conducted for 6 weeks, 3 times per week. For experimental groups, basic physical therapy and trunk muscle strengthening exercises were conducted and for control groups, only basic physical therapy was conducted. BPM(Balance Performance Monitor) was used to measure balance performance and QUEST(quality of upper extremity skills test) was used to measure the upper extremity function. RESULTS: The comparison of changes in sitting balance performance in between experimental groups and control groups show significant difference (p<.05), the changes of the upper extremity function in experimental groups and control groups show significant difference (p<.05). CONCLUSION: Trunk muscle strengthening exercises are effective in improving balance performance and the upper extremity function for the children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.71-78
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• 2017

Background: Muscle weakness and impaired trunk muscle control are common in stroke patients. The bridging exercise (BE) is generally used for trunk stabilization and improving the overall function of stroke patients. The effectiveness of the BE with hip adductor contraction (BEHA) in facilitating trunk muscle activation has been well studied in healthy adults. However, the impact of BEHA in sub-acute stroke patients has not yet been investigated. Objects: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of BEHA on the electromyography (EMG) activities and the asymmetry of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO) and internal oblique (IO) abdominal muscles. Methods: Twenty participants with sub-acute stroke (11 males and 9 females) were recruited. Each participant was asked to perform bridging exercises for five seconds under three different conditions: BE in a neutral position (BEN), BEHA with a large ball (BEHAL) and BEHA with a small ball (BEHAS). The EMG amplitudes of the bilateral RA, EO and IO and the asymmetry of the EMG activity between the sound and affected sides were compared among the conditions. The significance level was set at ${\alpha}=.05$. Results: The EMG activities of RA, EO and IO were significantly greater during BEHAL and BEHAS than during BEN (p<.05); the asymmetry of the RA, EO and IO decreased significantly during BEHAL and BEHAS compared to BEN (p<.05). However, no measured variables showed any significant differences between BEHAL and BEHAS (p>.05). Conclusion: This study compared the EMG activities of the RA, EO and IO on both sides and the asymmetry of the RA, EO and IO during BEN, BEHAL and BEHAS. Our findings suggest that BEHA was more effective for individuals with hemiplegic stroke at facilitating and normalizing abdominal muscle control than BEN.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.421-428
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of developed assisting wear which maximize trunk(back) muscle's stretch-shortening effect during backswing and downswing for increasing golf ball carrying distance. Design and fabrication of assistive wear were performed based on the results of analyzed data of trunk EMG activity from the golf drive swings of elite professional male golfers during back swing and downswing phases. After the prototype of wear was produced, surface EMG and Flight scope tests were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the wear for increasing distance to the professional golfers. Results indicated that wearing trial showed significant longer carry distance than the non-wearing trial(p<.001). The carry distance of wearing trial showed an average 229 m compared to the non-wearing trial, the average 225 m. The swing with wearing also produced significantly faster ball speed than the trial without wearing(p<.05). Average 245 Km/h and 244 Km/h were produced for the swing with and without wearing trails, respectively. EMG results also indicated that the muscle activity of left psoas was significantly increased for wearing trial during downswing and near the impact. Thus, this may affect positively to increase club head speed. The activity of the left latissimus dorsi was dramatically increased during the final stage of swing. This generates elongation effect for longer follow-through and increased impulse between club and ball so eventually valid assistance to increase carry distance. Therefore, the developed assisting wear was proved to be effective tool for increasing golf ball carry distance with maximizing trunk(back) muscle's stretch-shortening effect during backswing and downswing.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.67-72
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• 2022

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare trunk and lower extremity muscle activity during deadlift on stable - and unstable surfaces. Methods: Twenty healthy men participated in this study. The participants performed deadlift exercise on both a stable surface and an unstable surface. During the deadlift, the activities of the trunk and lower extremity muscle were collected by using electromyography. Results: The results showed that the electromyographic activity of the gluteus maximus significantly increased during deadlift on an unstable surface compared to on a stable surface (p <0.05). However, in the electromyographic activities of the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, and erector spinae, there were no significant differences (p >0.05). Conclusion: The finding that the electromyographic activity of the gluteus maximus increases significantly during deadlift on an unstable surface compared to stable one could be used to develop an efficient exercise program.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

Background: The bridge exercise prevents repeated damage to the tissues around the spine by reducing stimulus transmission to the ligaments and joint capsules, thereby alleviating back pain. It also contributes to strengthening the muscles of the lower extremities. Design: A Single Subject experience design. Methods: This study was conducted on 28 healthy adults in their 20s to 30s and conducted at St. Mary's Hospital in C City from May to July 2021. Four types of bridge exercise were performed in this study: the normal bridge exercise and bridge exercises with 0.5%, 1%, or 1.5% body weight resistance applied on the pelvis through manual resistance during the bridge exercise and to determine the effect of resistance applied in the bridge exercise on the activation of the trunk and lower extremities muscles. Results:This study showed that the muscle activity of the trunk and lower extremities improved significantly in response to stronger resistance when manual resistance equivalent to 0.5%, 1%, or 1.5% of body weight was applied during the bridge exercise compared to when the normal bridge exercise was performed. Conclusion: This study shows that manual resistance can be applied as an effective method of bridge exercise since muscle activity in the trunk and lower extremities increases when manual resistance causing isometric contraction is applied.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.331-338
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• 2013

This study conducted the following experiment to examine change of physicopsychological function on Dynamic Trunk Control Exercise(3D-DTCE) and Static Trunk Control Exercise (STCE) to chronic low back pain patients subject for lumbago therapy and management. Physical function was measured by equlibrium and lumbar muscle activities and psychological function was measured by self-efficacy on comparative analysis of pre, post exercise and each groups in 30 lumbago patient subject. Equlibrium was measured by total, front back and left right sway index, lumbar muscle activities were measured by abdominal rectus and oblique abdominalis, erector spinae and self efficacy with lumbago patients was measured index of self efficacy. These result lead us to the conclusion that each group were statistically improved at all physicopsychological test. but equlibrium and lumbar muscle activities were more statistically improved at DTCE group and self efficacy with lumbago patients were not differanced on each group. Consequently, DTCE would be lead to positive increment of physical function more than STCE.