• Journal of Korean Academy of Medicine & Therapy Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.5-11
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether intensive ankle training using biofeedback to increase proprioceptive senses and ankle-joint muscle strength effectively improves the balance of normal adults. Method: This study included 20 voluntary participants with normal adults. The subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups: the biofeedback intensive ankle training group (n=10) and the ankle training group (n=10). The biofeedback group used a visual biofeedback program. Subjects of the group that underwent ankle training only tried to keep their bodies balanced as well as possible on an Aero-Step. Both groups performed the exercise equally for three 30-minute sessions weekly for six weeks. The differences between the measurements before and after the experiment were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze the differences in variations between the groups. Results: The biofeedback group showed significant differences in the weight distributions A, B, C, D, LEFT, and HEEL and on the weight-distribution index. In contrast, the ankle training group showed significant differences in the weight distributions A, C, and LEFT. A comparison of the differences between the two groups found significant differences between them in the weight distributions A, B, C, D, LEFT, and HEEL. Conclusion: The biofeedback group showed a greater ability to control weight distribution. A longer experimental period involving more subjects would aid in developing exercise programs that are more diverse.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.5909-5919
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of the intensive ankle joint strategy training on the muscular strength and balancing ability in the elderly women. The subject of this study were 30 elderly women aged from 65 to 80 and randomly assigned to three groups. For 6 weeks, two experimental groups took the training an hour every 3 days of a week. The results that measured the dynamometer, FRT, and SEBT after implementing general lower limbs exercise and the intensive ankle joint strategy training for 6 weeks showed that the changes in the control and experimental group I were not statistically significant while the changes in the experimental group II were statistically significant (p<.05). For the prevention of the elderlies from fall and the treatment approaches, it is deemed to be necessary additional studies on the diverse variables through the intensive training of the ankle strategy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.29-35
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• 2023

PURPOSE: High-intensity physical therapy may help improve some gross motor developmental delays through an increased treatment frequency. This study describes an increase in physical therapy frequency and intensity over an eight-week time frame for a child with a rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder. METHODS: A single-subject research was performed. The subject was a nine-year-old boy with MECP2 Duplication Syndrome. The outcome measure consisted of one time before and after the intervention. An intensive physical therapy program was applied to this subject. The treatments included reciprocal crawling, high kneeling, tailor sitting, weight-bearing and shifting training to facilitate ankle balance strategies and training to walk without assistance. RESULTS: After the eight-week follow-up, the child achieved a gradual improvement in the gross motor function measures, and the mother reported that the child frequently engaged in tailor sitting and independently walking. CONCLUSION: This case study highlights that intensive physical therapy improved the overall motor function of a child with MECP2 duplication syndrome.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.45-52
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• 2024

Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure the morphological characteristics of the foot and biomechanical variables of the lower extremity joints during vertical jump and investigate the relationship between foot morphology and biomechanics of vertical jump. Method: 24 men in their 20s (age: 22.42 ± 1.41 yrs, height: 173.37 ± 4.61 cm, weight: 72.02 ± 6.21 kg, foot length: 251.70 ± 8.68 mm) participated in the study. Morphological characteristics of the foot included the length of the first toe, the length of the second toe, and the horizontal length from the center of ankle joint to the achilles tendon (Plantar Flexion Moment Arm [PFMA]). Biomechanical variables were measured for plantar flexor strength of the ankle joint and peak angular velocity, moment, and power of the lower extremity joint during vertical jump. Results: There was a significant correlation between the length of the first toe and plantar flexion strength at 30°/s [r=.440, p=.016], the angular velocity of the metatarsophalangeal [MTP] joint [r=-.369, p=.038] while significant correlations between PFMA and the angular velocities of the knee joint [r=.369, p=.038] and ankle joint [r=.420, p=.021] were found. There were also significant correlations between the length of the first toe and the maximum moment of the hip joint [r=.379, p=.034], and the length of the second toe and the power of the hip joint [r=-.391, p=.029]. Finally, significant correlations between PFMA and the power of the ankle joint [r=.424, p=.019] and MTP joint [r=.367, p=.039] were found. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the length of the toe and PFMA would be related to the function of the lower extremity joint. Therefore, this should be considered when designing the functional structure of a shoe. Furthermore, this relationship can be applied to intensive training for the plantar flexors and toe flexors to improve power in athletic performance.

• Journal of Korean Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.46-50
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was designed to analyze? the chronic pain of adolescent Taekwondo athletes, to research the understanding about chronic pain of coaches and athletes, to? reduce the development of chronic pain. Materials and Methods: From March. 2006 to June 2007, 210 athletics and 12 coaches of elementary, middle and high school in Kwang-ju city were surveyed. They was evaluated by physical examination, simple radiographs and MRI. Results: In 210 athletics, 162(77.1%) athletes had chronic pain. 19(11.7%) athletes had over three regions of pain, 74(45.7%) athletes had two regions of pain, 69(42.6%) athletes had one region of pain. In 274 cases of 164 athletes, the most common region was foot and ankle(145 cases, 52.9%), followed by hand(47 cases, 17.2%) and knee(38 cases,13.9%), hip(25 cases, 9.1%), and lumbar area(19 cases, 6.9%) The chronic pain was classified by injury type. Contusion of foot was 103 cases(most common), sprain of ankles was 40cases, Contusion of hands and wrists was 28 cases, and so on. The etiologies of injury that causes the chronic pain were match injury in training that is most common, intensive exercise and match injury in competition. Conclusion: The chronic pain was common in adolescent Taekwondo athletes. The ankle and foot were the most common region of chronic pain and the match injury was the most common injury, caused the chronic pain. Although athletes had considerable mental stress about chronic pain, the treatment of chronic pain and rest were insufficient. Therefore the variable effort to prevent injury and to treatment injury must be considered importantly.