• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.341-352
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was conducted to develop & to determine the effect of an tailored falls prevention exercise for older adults. Method: Subjects consisted of 59 older adults (experimental group : 29, control group : 30) living at nursing homes. Experimental group participated in tailored falls prevention exercise for 16 weeks(3 times a week, 50 min every session). Data were collected before the exercise, 16 weeks & 24 weeks after the beginning of exercise. Results: 1) the experimental group significantly improved the muscle strength of hip extensor & flexor, knee extensor & flexor, ankle dorsiflexor, & plantar flexor compared to the control group. 2) the experimental group significantly decreased the mean time for 10 times chair stand. 3) the experimental group significantly increased the standing time on one leg and the number of heel raise for 30 seconds compared to the control group. In addition more older adults in the experimental group completed the tandem stance & semi-tandem stance for 10 seconds than the control group. 4) The experimental group significantly decreased the mean time of 6m walk and the fall frequency compared to the control group. Conclusions: This results suggest that tailored falls prevention exercise for older adults can improve muscle strength, static & dynamic balance and decrease the fall frequency of older adults.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.297-303
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• 2021

Objective: Stroke patients generally have problems with motor function, muscle weakness, and gait.This study was purposed toevaluate the effect of the treadmill training with kinesio taping of tibialis anterior (TKT) on muscle function, tibialis anterior, muscle strength, and gait ability in poststroke patients. Design: A randomized controlled design Methods: The participants were randomly divided in the TKT group (experimental group) and treadmill training with sham kinesio taping (control group), with 21 patients assigned to each group. Both groups receive treadmill training with kinesio taping and sham kinesio taping for 30 minutes per day, five days per week, for four weeks. The motor function was measured using the Fugl-Meyer assessment. A disital manual muscle test and G-walk were used to evaluate ankle dorsiflexor and gait ability.Evaluation was performed baseline and 4 weeks after the experiment. Results: Both groups showed significantly more improvement in muscle function, tibialis anterior muscle strength, cadence, gait velocity, and stridelength in pre-post intervention change(p<0.05).The experimental group showed significantly more improvement in motor function, muscle strength, cadence, gait velocity, and stridelength ability comparedto the control group(p<0.05). Conclusions: These finding show the benefits of treadmill training with kinesio taping for functional recovery in poststroke patients

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.33-43
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• 2007

This study divided 35 hemiplegia patients into control group having standard physical therapy and gait training and functional electrical stimulation(FES) group using FES during gait training in order to examine the effects of applying FES to ankle joint dorsiflexor on motor unit action potential. Stimulation conditions of FES were pulse rate 35 pps, pulse width $250{\mu}s$, and on-time 0.3 second, treatment hour was 30 min. and treatment period was once a day for five days a week through six weeks. For functional evaluations before and after treatment, root mean square(RMS) were measured and the following conclusions were obtained. : In RMS analysis of motor unit action potential, gastrocnemius was significantly reduced in both weight bearing(p<.001) and bearing condition (p<.05). In conclusion, application of FES to hemiplegia patients in recovery stage during gait training decreased RMS and it was interpreted that it was caused by mitigation of muscular spasticity by reduction of motor unit.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.9-17
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• 2019

PURPOSE: This research was designed to study the correlations between physical activities such as foot sensory impairment, balance and ambulatory abilities, as well as fall risk factors and mental activities such as cognitive performance and depression in order to provide fundamental data for the prevention of falling in the elderly. METHODS: A total of 36 elderly people over the age of 65 years who voluntarily joined the research were selected as subjects. Sensory perception in both feet was measured by using a monofilament in 10 parts with each part given one point. The points for each foot were integrated to analyze the correlations between physical and mental activities indices, and the results were analyzed by using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The results of this research show that the extent to which senses in feet were impaired was correlated to TUG, a functional activity index involved in tranfers, gait, and turning movements, which was correlated to BBS (balance index) as well as MMSE-K and K-GDS (mental activities index). BBS was interrelated to FES-K (physical activities index) and MMSE-K. The muscular strength of the right ankle dorsiflexor had mutual relations with FES-K. CONCLUSION: The results of this research indicate that TUG is widely correlated to foot sensory impairment as well as general physical and mental activities in elderly people. BBS was also shown to be correlated with TUG, FES-K, and MMSE-K. Thus, it might be necessary that TUG and BBS be included as two items in physical and mental check-ups for the elderly, and further studies on correlations using evaluation items for physical and mental activities should lead to the simplification of the evaluation criteria.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to compare the balance and gait between fallers and non-fallers in elderly. A brief questionnaire was used to obtain the fall history. Twenty-seven women subjects were evaluated in this study. Eleven subjects and a mean age of 84.5 years (SD=4.6) were designated as the faller group. Sixteen subjects and a mean age of 80.3 years (SD=5.3) were designated as the non-faller group. The fall-related factors (mental status, balance, range of motion and muscle strength of lower extremity, sensation of foot, and cadence, walking velocity, stride length) were compared between faller group and non-faller group and measured. The results showed that faller group had significantly less range of motion of the hip flexion and knee extension, and strength of the knee extensor and ankle dorsiflexor and plantar flexor than non-faller group. The scores of the Functional reach test and One leg standing were significantly less in faller group than in non-faller group. Faller group showed less walking velocity and stride length compared to non-faller group. However, there was no significant difference in cadence during comfortable waking and fast walking between two groups. There were no significant differences in pressure, position sensory between two groups. These results suggest that exercise for improving the flexibility, muscle strength of the lower extremity and balance may be useful strategies to prevent fall in elderly. Further studies are needed to identify which specific factors are related to fall in the elderly population.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.259-273
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• 2009

Purpose: This research was conducted to determine the effects of a multifactorial fall prevention program applying HSEP(Home Support Exercise Program) on physical balance and gait, leg strength, fear of falling and falls efficacy of the community-dwelling elderly. Method: The design of this study was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. There were 20 subjects in the experimental group and 21 in the control group. The fall prevention program consists of HSEP and fall related education. The intervention was performed for once a week in the senior citizen center and twice a week at home for 8 weeks. Results: There were significant differences in physical balance and gait, leg strength(hip extensor, hip flexor, knee flexor, ankle plantarflexor, ankle dorsiflexor) and falls efficacy between the experimental group and control group. Conclusion : The fall prevention program applying HSEP used in this study was very effective in increasing physical balance and gait, leg strength and falls efficacy. Finally this study would recommended that a fall prevention program applying HSEP should be extended to community facilities such as elderly welfare center and nursing home.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.5-23
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• 2002

Purpose: To determine the effect of the Fall Prevention Program(EPP) on gait, balance and muscle strength in elderly women at a nursing home. Method: The subjects of this consisted of 38 elderly women between the ages of 70 to 89 years living at a nursing home located in Seoul. Each of the experimental group and control group was composed of 19 subjects. The subjects in experimental group have participated in FPP for the 8 weeks which consisted of exercise, education and foot care. They started to exercise for 40 minutes per session, 3 sessions a week during the 1st week at 40% of age adjusted maximum heart rate. From the 2nd week to the 4th week, they increased the duration of exercise to 50 minutes per session and the intensity to 60% of age-adjusted maximum heart rate. They participated in 50 minutes at 60% of age-adjusted maximum heart rate from the 5th week to the 8th week. Each exercise session consisted of 10 minutes of warming-up exercise, 30 minutes of conditioning exercise and 10 minutes of cooling-down exercise. They participated in education for 20 minutes per week from the 1st week to the 4th week. Then they participated in a 30-minute foot care program per week from the 5th week to the 8th week. Gait, balance and muscle strength for each subject were measured before and after FPP. Gait was evaluated by step length, step width, gait speed and walking distance. Balance was measured by the duration of standing on one leg with their eyes closed and open each, and a get-up and go test. Grip strength was measured by hand dynamometer. Hip extensor and flexor strength, knee extensor and flexor strength and ankle plantarflexor and dorsiflexor strength were measured by manual muscle tester. Data was analyzed using SPSS form Windows. t-test and Chi square test were utilized as a homogeneity test. Repeated measure ANOVA was used to test the effect of FPP. Result: 1) Step width significantly decreased, and step length, gait speed and walking distance significantly increased in the experimental group compared with the control group after FPP(p<0.005). 2) There was no significant change in standing time on one leg with their eyes closed after FPP. The standing time on leg with their eyes open and the time of "get-up and go" significantly decreased in the experimental group compared with the control group after FPP(p<0.005). 3) Muscle strength-grip strength, hip extensor and flexor strength-significantly increased in the experimental group compared with the control group after FPP(p<0.005). 4) There was no significant difference of frequency of fall between the experimental group and control group during the period of FPP. Conclusion: These results suggest that FPP can increase gait, balance and muscle strength of elderly women at a nursing home.