• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.63-70
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• 2010

Purpose: In this study, children with cerebral palsy were treated for 8 weeks using horse riding trunk proprioception, stability and posture to investigate the effect of hippotherapy in the field of physical therapy. Methods: A total of 18 subjects were divided into an experimental group treated by horseback riding and a control group. Both groups were evaluated pre- and post-treatment. Trunk proprioception was measured three times in the sitting position with their eyes and ears closed to reach the target position the angle error of the mean was calculated. Trunk stability was measured using a forceplate and the data were used to calculate the postural sway path & postural sway velocity. Posture was evaluated using the Posture Assessment Scale (PAS). Results: After hippotherapy, the experimental group showed a significant improvement in trunk proprioception, stability and posture (p<0.05), but the control group improved in posture only (p<0.05). Trunk proprioception, stability and posture was significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: Eight weeks of hippotherapy is effective in improving trunk proprioception, stability, and posture. Research using this therapy should be studied further as a possible new therapeutic approach in the field of physical therapy.

• International Journal of Safety
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.32-35
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• 2011

Lifting capacity and difficulty of task are influenced by body posture. In RULA and REBA, the body was divided into segments which formed two groups, A and B. Group A includes the upper and lower arm and wrist while group B includes the neck, trunk and legs. This ensures that whole body posture is recorded so that any awkward or constrained posture of the legs, trunk or neck which might influence the posture of the upper limb. This study aimed to measure MVC (maximum voluntary contraction) and subjective judgment in psychophysical method (Borg's scale) according to trunk and upper arm angle and to analyze results statistically. The results of this study were that lifting capacity was more influenced by interaction of body posture rather than angles of each part, and MVC variation according to trunk and upper arms angles should different patterns. This means that we consider the interaction of trunk angles and upper arm angles when we access risk factors of the postures. This survey would be also the basic data to evaluate difficulty of lifting tasks according to body postures ergonomically.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.393-403
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• 1999

In this research, a reach posture prediction based on a two-segment trunk model was made. Recently, reach posture prediction models have used inverse kinematics to provide a single posture that a person naturally takes, with a single segment trunk model that had some shortcomings. A two-segment trunk model was first developed with two links; pelvis link and lumbar-thoracic link. The former refers to the link from the hip joint to L5/S1 joint while the latter does the link from L5/S1 to the shoulder joint. Second, a reach prediction model was developed using the two-segment trunk model. As a result, more reliable equations for two-segment trunk motion were obtained, and the lean direction which refers to the movement direction of the trunk was not found to have a significant effect on the two-segment trunk motion. The results also showed that the hip joint is more preferred over L5/S1 to serve as a reference point for trunk models and the reach prediction model being developed predicted the real posture accurately.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.243-252
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of trunk posture on muscle activity and motion of scapular and scapulohumeral rhythm. Thirty-one healthy subjects performed right-arm abduction and adduction along the frontal plane while standing in both upright and flexed posture of trunk. Scapular upward rotation, anterior tilting and internal rotation ware recorded using a motion analysis system and muscle activity of upper trapezius, lower trapezius and serratus anterior ware recorded using surface electromyography during abduction and adduction in both trunk postures. then, scapulohumeral rhythm was calculated. Scapulohumeral rhythm and scapular posterior tilting in flexed posture was significantly decreased than in upright posture. Also, muscle activity of lower trapezius in flexed posture was significantly increased and serratus anterior was significantly decreased than in general posture. The result of this study revealed that flexed posture of trunk altered the muscle activity and kinematic of scapular. Measurement of trunk posture should be included the evaluation of dysfunction and disorder of shoulder girdle since rehabilitation of trunk posture is important to restore of upper limbs function.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2013

Background: The purpose of this study was to find out the effect of trunk stabilization training on the self posture control efficacy, physical self-description and perception stress in high school students. Methods: 92 voluntary students (73 females, 19 males) participated in this study. They received trunk stabilization training for 40 minutes per day and a time per week during 6 weeks period. Trunk stabilization training was an approach of education in proper posture and coordination of movement. In the evaluation, the self posture control efficacy scale (SPCES) was used to measure the posture control efficacy, the physical self-description questionnaire (PSDQ) was used to measure the physical self description and the perception stress scale (PSS) was used to measure the stress. All measurement of each subject were measured before and after stabilization training. Results: The SPCES were significantly different before and after (p<.05). The PSDQ and PSS were no significantly different before and after (p>.05) but the means were increased slightly. Conclusion: Conclusionally these results suggest that the trunk stabilization training increased the self posture control efficacy and would give help to control Students themselves.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.413-423
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• 2001

Low back disorders (LBDs) are one of the most common and costly work-related musculoskeletal disorders. One of the major possible risk factors of LBDs is to work with static and awkward trunk postures, especially in a complex trunk posture involving flexion, twisting and lateral bending simultaneously. This study is to examine the effect of complex trunk postures on the postural stresses using a psychophysical method. Twelve healthy male students participated in an experiment, in which 29 different trunk postures were evaluated using the magnitude estimation method. The results showed that subjective discomfort significantly increased as the levels of trunk flexion, lateral bending and rotation increased. Significant interaction effects were found between rotation and lateral bending or flexion when the severe lateral bending or rotation were assumed, indicating that simultaneous occurrence of trunk flexion, lateral bending and rotation increases discomfort ratings synergistically. A postural workload evaluation scheme of trunk postures was proposed based on the angular deviation levels from the neutral position. Each trunk posture was assigned numerical stress index depending upon its discomfort rating, which was defined as the ratio of discomfort of a posture to that of its neutral posture. Four qualitative action categories for the stress index were also provided in order to enable practitioners to apply corrective actions appropriately. The proposed scheme is expected to be applied to several field areas for evaluating trunk postural stresses.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.333-339
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of trunk mobilization and stretching activities on respiratory function, trunk posture, and physical fatigue for elderlies with restrictive lung diseases and related respiratory impairment. The present study was conducted with ten subjects, participating for eight weeks between January and November 2014. Subjects performed trunk mobilization and stretching routines for 30 minutes per day for three days each week. The study results showed that there were significant improvements in FVC and FEV1, trunk posture, trunk movement and physical fatigue(p<.05). The study results verified that trunk mobilization and stretching activities can be used as respiratory orthopedic manual therapy to improve respiratory function, trunk posture, trunk movement and physical fatigue simultaneously for elderly with respiratory impairment. Continuous studies through therapeutic convergence with the exercise field along with the respiratory orthopedic manual therapy that used in this study for elderly people with restrictive lung diseases will be necessary for the future.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.80-86
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• 2008

Cross-legged sitting postures are commonly assumed during computer work. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of leg crossing on trunk muscle activity while typing at a computer. Trunk muscle activity was measured in three 8 different sitting postures, in random order. These posture were: normal sitting with a straight trunk and both feet on the floor (NS), upper leg crossing (ULC), and ankle on knee (AOK). The right leg was crossed onto the left leg in both cross-legged postures. Twenty able-bodied male volunteers participated in this study. Subjects typed on a computer keyboard for one minute. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to record bilateral muscle activity in the external oblique (EO). internal oblique (IO), and rectus abdominis (RA). The EMG activity of each muscle in the NS posture was used as a reference (100% EMG activity) in relation to the two cross-legged postures. Muscle activity in the right EO. right IO, and left IO was significantly lower in the ULC posture than in the NS posture. In contrast, muscle activity in the right RA was significantly higher in the ULC posture than in the NS posture. Muscle activity in the tight RA was significantly higher in the AOK posture, as compared to the NS posture, whereas activity in the left IO was significantly lower in the AOK posture, as compared to the NS posture. The right-left muscle activity ratios in the EO and IO showed significantly different patterns in the cross-legged postures, suggesting that asymmetrical right-left oblique muscle activity had occurred.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.601-608
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• 2013

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of distance between trunk and desk on forward head posture and muscle activity of neck and shoulder muscles during computer work. METHODS: Twenty subjects who have healthy conditions were asked to perform computer work in two conditions (distance between trunk and desk was 0 and 15 cm). Forward head angle was analyzed with a SIMI motion analysis system. Surface electromyography recorded the upper trapezius and splenius capitis muscles. The significance of differences in distance between trunk and desk (0cm and 15cm) was tested by paired t-test. The alpha level was set at .05. RESULTS: The results showed that the change of forward head angle was significantly higher during the computer work when the distance between trunk and desk was 15cm than 0cm. The muscle activity of upper trapezius and splenius capitis was also significantly higher during the computer work when the distance between trunk and desk was 15cm than 0cm. CONCLUSION: Our study suggest that the distance between trunk and desk was should minimized for prevention of forward head posture during computer work.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.69-74
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• 2011

Despite most of tasks in manufacturing, construction and agriculture, etc., were currently mechanized and automated, manual materials handling still existed in atypical working condition. In case of manual materials handling, repetitive work, inappropriate working posture, excessive force, contact stress might cause overload, which could lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders and low back pains. On this basis, the goal of this study is to reveal the effects of various lifting postures of trunk angles and lower extremity postures on maximum holding time(MHT). Twenty two subjects were recruited from a university population. The experiment was designed by a combination of three trunk angle ($0^{\circ}$, $20^{\circ}$, $60^{\circ}$) and three lower extremity postures(straight, bent, kneeling). Before experimental trials, subjects performed MVC(maximum voluntary contraction) exertions in three trunk angles ($0^{\circ}$, $20^{\circ}$, $60^{\circ}$) to calculate 30%MVC at designated postures. In each trial, they were required to hold the handheld load(30%MVC) for a designated posture as long as they could. The results of MVC by trunk angles were measured in $0^{\circ}$ > $20^{\circ}$ > $60^{\circ}$ orders, but those of MHT measured in $20^{\circ}$ > $0^{\circ}$ > $60^{\circ}$ orders. These results showed that straight posture is the ideal working posture in work exerted a strong force for a short time, but the ability to work might be improved in the trunk angle $20^{\circ}$ in work required 30%MVC for a long time. Also, results of MVC and MHT by lower extremity postures measured in straight > bent > kneeling orders.