Ho Jung An

The effect of various dual task training methods with gait on the balance and gait of patients with chronic stroke.

[Purpose] This study examined the effects of various dual task gait training methods (motor dual task gait training, cognitive dual task gait training, and motor and cognitive dual task gait training) on the balance and gait abilities of chronic stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty-three outpatients performed dual task gait training for 30 minutes per day, three times a week, for eight weeks from June to August, 2012. Balance ability was measured pre-and posttest using the stability test index, the weight distribution index, the functional reach test, the timed up and go test, and the four square step test. Gait ability was measured by the 10 m walk test and a 6 min walk test before and after the training. The paired t-test was used to compare measurements before and after training within each group, and ANOVA was used to compare measurements before and after training among the groups. [Results] Comparisons within each group indicated significant differences in all variables between before and after the training in all three groups. Comparison between the groups showed that the greatest improvements were seen in all tests, except for the timed up and go test, following motor and cognitive dual task gait training. [Conclusion] In a real walking environment, the motor and cognitive dual task gait training was more effective at improving the balance and gait abilities of chronic stroke patients than either the motor dual task gait training or the cognitive dual task gait training alone.

Thoracic coupled motions of korean men in good health in their 20s.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate thoracic coupled motions of 20 Korean young individuals. [Methods] Thoracic motion of twenty healthy male college students aged 23.2±3.1 was examined. The coupled motions of the thoracic regions T1–4, T4–8, T8–12 were measured using a three dimensional motion capture system. [Results] Coupled axial rotation in the same direction as lateral bending was observed in T1–T4 and T4–T8 in the neutral, flexed, and extended postures of the thoracic spine. In T8–T12, coupled axial rotation in the same direction as lateral bending were observed in the neutral and flexed postures, while coupled axial rotation in the opposite direction was observed in an extended posture. [Conclusion] The patterns of coupled motions in the thoracic spine demonstrated some variability between postures and regions in vivo. However, coupled motions in the same direction were predominantly lateral flexion or axial rotation in the three postures.

Effects of Ankle Joint Taping on Postural Balance Control in Stroke Patients

Clinically, the primary purpose of the rehabilitationof stroke-related hemiplegic patients is the recoveryof balance and gait ability(1). A general problem inthe gaits of stroke patients is in ankle dorsiflexion.That is, foot drop occurs in stroke patients becausethe dorsiflexor is not well controlled, and the muscletone of the triceps sura increases abnormally. Theseobstacles make standing and balancing difficult inthe rehabilitation process of these patients, therebypreventing them from getting out of their beds andinhibiting normal gaits and activities of daily living(2). Compared to subjects with no damage to anklejoint proprioception, those with damaged ankle jointproprioception show increased body sway, lower bal-ance scale scores(3), and larger changes in gait pat-terns(4).Callaghan et al.(5) reported that taping significantlyimproved the accuracy of senses in those with rela-tively poor proprioception although it had little effecton those with excellent proprioception. Jerosch et al.(6) reported that when proprioception was examinedusing angle reproduction tests, errors in propriocep-tion decreased in a group of patients with ankledamage to which taping was applied. Taping is gen-erally known to improve proprioception and by com-ing into contact with the skin, provide augmentedskin proprioceptor signals(7).Therefore, the present study intends to provideexperimental data on therapeutic intervention meth-ods for improving stroke patients’ independence byidentifying the effects of taping on postural balancecontrol. Taping is applied to the ankle joints, the tib-ialis anterior, and the gastrocnemius, which playimportant roles in the balance control of hemiplegicpatients for physical stability when therapeuticexercises are performed, in addition to assessingstroke patients’ static balance, dynamic balance, andgait ability.

The Effects of tDCS and Montoya Stair Task on Sensorimotor Recovery and GFAP Expression in MCAo induced Stroke Rat Model

This study is intended to examine the tDCS and Montoya stair task(MST) on sensorimotor recovery and glial scar expression in MCAo induced stroke model of rat. To achieve this goal, this study selected 80 SD rats of 8 weeks. The experiment groups were divided them into four groups, and assigned 20 rats to each group. Group I was a experimental control group; GroupII was a tDCS application group after MCAo; Group III was a MST application group after MCAo; Group IV was a tDCS and MST application group after MCAo. In each group, neurological function test measurement, motor behavior test, montoya stair task test, immunohistochemistric finding of GFAP expression finding were analyzed. In motor behavior test, the outcome of group I was significantly difference than the other group, especially from 14days. In montoya stair task test, the outcome of group I was significantly lower than the other group especially, group II were significantly different on 14days and group IV was most significantly difference than the other group. In immunohistochemistric finding, group II, III, IV were decrease GFAP expression on depend on time stream. These results throughout the MCAo due to focal ischemic brain injury rat model four weeks tDCS and MST was applied, when the neurobehavioural, upper extremity function and ability, histopathologic data suggest that sensorimotor function recovery and a positive influence on glial scar decrease and confirmed that.

Effect of joint mobilization on improvement of knee pain, isokinetic strength, muscle tone, muscle stiffness in an elite volleyball player with knee injury

This case study identified the effects of joint mobilization on knee pain, isokinetic strength, muscle tone, and muscle stiffness in an elite volleyball player with a knee injury. The subject had experienced cartilage defects of the left knee joint and underwent surgery to correct the condition. The patient complained of continuous pain in the left knee joint in daily life in addition to pain during exercise. The study was conducted from August 5 to 12, 2015 and joint mobilization was applied to the left knee joint for 15 minutes once a day for 8 days. Knee pain was measured using a visual analogue scale, and the concentric peak torque of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles was measured using an isokinetic muscular strength measurement device. The muscle tone and stiffness of the rectus femoris muscle, vastus medialis, and vastus lateralis on the injured side were measured using a myotonometer. All the measurements were conducted before and after the intervention. Joint mobilization was effective in reducing knee pain on the injured side, increasing the concentric peak torque of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles on both sides, and increasing the muscle stiffness of the quadriceps muscle on the injured side. Concentric peak torque of the quadriceps muscle on the injured side increased a great deal as the number of joint mobilizations was increased, largely diminishing the difference in concentric peak torque between the normal side and injured side. On the other hand, joint mobilization was ineffective in improving the hamstring to quadriceps strength ratio on the injured side. While this study suggests that joint mobilization can be an effective intervention to improve the knee pain, isokinetic strength, and muscle stiffness of elite volleyball players, it should be performed alongside training for an appropriate strength ratio

The Effect of Group Exercise Program on Cognitive Function of Elderly people

【The goal of this study was to assess the effect of a group exercise program on cognitive function of elderly people. Subjects were chosen to be elders with dementia having minor to moderate degrees of cognitive function. Study was started out by randomly dividing the 16 subjects into two groups, each with 8 people; the group exercise group and the control group. The group exercise group performed 8 weeks of group exercise program and general physiotherapy while the control group only performed general physiotherapy. Cognitive function was measured by Korean version mini-mental state examination. The study groups attention and calculation statistically significantly improved but the control group saw no statistically significant change. The group exercise program affected improvement in cognitive function of elderly people with dementia and in particular, was effective for enhancing their attention and calculation.】

The Effects of Proprioceptor Training and Vestibular Organ Training on Balance Ability of Adults

The purpose of this study was to analysis of the effect of proprioceptor training and vestibular organ training for balance ability. The subjects was consist of two different subjects group, proprioceptor training group and vestibular organ training group. Proprioceptor training group consisted of 10 subjects and vestibular organ training group consisted of 10 subjects. Training was performed 3 times per week, 30 minutes per day, for 3 weeks. Balance ability analysis was performed using Rombergs one leg standing test and BT4 when opened eyes and closed eyes. The analysis results were as follows. There was no significant differences in balance after the training in both groups when they opened their eyes(p

The Effects of Balance Exercise on an Unstable Platform and a Stable Platform on Static Balance

Balance is essential in performing all activities ofdaily living and is an ability to maintain the body inan equilibrium state(1). Ability to control posturalbalance is to maintain the center of gravity(COG) ona platform with minimal postural sway, when stand -ing in a fixed place, moving voluntarily, or respond -ing to force exerted from outside(1, 2). Ability tomaintain balance or recover disturbed balance duringordinary life is related to diverse sensory functions,motor functions, cognitive functions, and psychoso -cial functions, and environmental elements(3, 4).When moving the body on a flat ground and movingon a narrow beam, dynamically different posturalcontrol strategies are used. In addition, when the useof ankle joint strategy is decreased according to thedegree of center of body mass movement, use of thehip joint strategy increases, and when the use of hipjoint strategy is reduced, use of the ankle joint strat-egy rises, which is called a changeable postural con -trol strategy(5). Jandas sensorimotor training developed from anintervention approach to chronic musculoskeletalpain syndrome emphasized the importance of appro -priate functional adjustment of the sensory motorarea, coordinative movement, joint stability, and pro -prioception in exercise pattern balance(6). Proprio-ception is an ability to change muscular contractionthrough immediate response to force exerted fromoutside and play an important role in reducing func -tional instability and redamage. Recovery of proprio -ception in treatment intervention is an important ele -ment in treatment process(7). Sensorimotor traininghas been used as rehabilitation for damage to theankle joints and postural deficits, and previousresearch reported its preventive effect of ankle andknee joint damage. Recently, sensorimotor exercisehas been applied to motor performance as well asrehabilitation and prevention(8-11).

The Study on Respiratory Function, Spirometric Lung Pattern and Fatigue of Elderly in a Facility

The purpose of this study was to investigate spirometric lung pattern, respiratory function and degree of fatigue by lung function tests and fatigue tests of 39 elderly people in a care facility aged 65 and over. The respiratory function tests were used to the Spirovit SP-1 and fatigue tests were used modified Piper fatigue scale(mPFS). Regarding the respiratory function, the FVC was l, the FVC % predicted was %, the was l, the % predicted was %, the /FVC was %, and the fatigue score was . As for the spirometric lung pattern, 19 patients had a restrictive pattern(48.7%), followed by 11 with a mixed pattern(28.2%), 5 with an obstructive pattern( 12.8%), and 4 with a normal pattern(10.3%). Regarding the respiratory function and fatigue by spirometric lung pattern, the FVC and the FVC % predicted of patients with a normal pattern or an obstructive pattern were greater than other groups at a statistically significant level. As for the , that of patients with a normal pattern was significantly higher than others, and for the % predicted, that of patients with a normal pattern or a restrictive pattern was significantly higher(p

Influences of Chronic Shoulder Pain on Muscle Tone Changes in Trunk Muscles

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of chronic shoulder pain on the muscle tone in trunk muscles. The study``s subjects were 40 men and women in their 30 to 50s, which were divided into two groups. A chronic shoulder pain group consisted of 20 subjects who had been diagnosed with chronic shoulder pain by doctors, and a painless group consisted of 20 subjects who had experienced no such pain. An analysis was performed using electromyography on the muscle tone in the rectus abdominalis, external oblique, internal oblique, and erector spinae muscles under the same conditions between the two groups. The analysis results were as follows. The chronic shoulder pain group exhibited an overall high level of trunk muscle tone than the painless group, along with a statistically significant difference in the rectus abdominalis(p<.05). Moreover, the chronic shoulder pain group showed differences in the trunk muscle tone depending on the affected side. The chronic left shoulder pain group yielded higher levels of muscle tone in the right-side trunk muscles. In particular, the group revealed statistically significant differences in the rectus abdominalis and internal oblique(p<.05). The chronic right shoulder pain group exhibited higher levels of muscle tone in the left-side trunk muscles with a statistically significant difference in the internal oblique(p<.05). The above results suggested that chronic shoulder pain influences increases in the muscle tone in the trunk muscles on the opposite side to the affected shoulder.