• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.49-55
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• 2012

Background: The purposes of this study were to: 1) investigate the relation between thoracic kyphosis, postural stiffness and thoracic rotation and 2) the intra-rater reliability of the measurement methods for thoracic kyphosis and rotation angle. Methods: Thirty-nine young adults (13 males, 26 females) participated in the study. Thoracic kyphosis was measured using a Flexicurve while standing in their usual relaxed posture and then in their maximally erector posture. Index of kyphosis (IK) measures taken in the relaxed and maximally erect positions were used to estimate postural stiffness. Thoracic rotation range of motion (ROM) was measured using universal goniometer and inclinometer in two positions. The association between the magnitude of the IK and thoracic stiffness and thoracic rotation ROM was also examined. Reliability was determined using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). Results: When measured from the mean relaxed IK (${\pm}SD$) was 7.42 (${\pm}1.47$) and mean erect IK was 4.92 (${\pm}1.63$) and mean IK ratio was 1.66 (${\pm}.65$). The relaxed IK was significantly correlated with the range of motion thoracic rotation in two positions (r=.503~580, p<.01). Conclusion: Thoracic kyphosis in relaxed position was associated with the range of motion thoracic rotation. Thoracic kyphosis measurement with the Flexicurve and range of motion 2 techniques of thoracic rotation showed good reliablity and may be a useful measurement tool in clinical practice.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.52-59
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of the postural balance program which uses the movement accelerating field principles of posture balance training and evaluation equipment and smartphone movement accelerometer program (SMAP) in healthy young adults. A total of 34 people were appointed as the subject among the healthy young adults. By using Biodex stability system (BSS) and SMAP on the subject, the posture balance capability was evaluated. For the test-retest reliability, SMAP showed the intra-class correlation (ICC: .62~.91) and standard error measurement (SEM: .01~.08). BSS showed the moderate to high reliability of ICC (.88~.93) and SEM (.02~.20). In the reliability of inter-rater, ICC (.59~.73) as to SMAP, showed the reliability of moderate in eyes open stability all (EOSA), eyes open stability anterior posterior (EOSAP), eyes open stability medial lateral (EOSML) and eyes open dinamic all (EODA), eyes open danamic anterior posterior (EODAP), and eyes open danamic medial lateral (EODML). However, ICC showed reliability which was as low as .59 less than in other movements. In addition, BSS showed the reliability of high as ICC (.70~.75). It showed reliability which was as low as ICC (.59 less than) in other movements. In correlation to the balance by attitudes between SMAP and BSS, EOSML (r=.62), EODA (r=.75), EODML (r=.72), ECDAP (r=.64), and ECDML (r=.69) shown differ significantly (p<.05). However, the correlation noted in other movements did not differ significantly. Therefore, SMAP and BSS can be usefully used in the posture balance assessment of the static and dynamic condition with eyes opened and closed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2020

PURPOSE: Postural and structural asymmetry due to muscle imbalances around the lower back and pelvis are the causes of back pain. Muscle imbalances in patients with chronic low back pain affect the pelvic tilt and movement, and it is necessary to assess the pelvic movement ability using the appropriate tools to determine the mediating effects of lower back pain. This paper reports the reliability and validity of the Sensbalance Therapy Cushion (STC) for pelvic movement and proprioception. METHODS: In this study, the Wii balance board (WBB) was used as a golden standard for pelvic movement measurements. FABQ, KODI, Myovision, and Pelvic movement were measured in 50 patients with chronic low back pain. The correlation between the lower-back muscle activity and pelvic movement was checked. The pelvic movement parameter was measured twice to determine the intra-rater reliability. RESULTS: The STC showed high test-retest reliability in the pelvic tilt measurements (ICC = .672 - .809). The test-retest reliability of proprioception measurements (ICC = .588 - .859) and reaction time measurements (ICC = .542 - .836) were also high. The relationship between the WBB and STC showed a significant positive correlation with the pelvic tilt test (p < .01). The posterior pelvic tilt and lower-back muscle activity showed a significant negative correlation (p < .01). The pelvic left tilt and lower-back muscle activity showed a significant negative correlation (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The results revealed the high reliability and validity of the STC. Therefore, the STC can be used as an objective measuring device for evaluating pelvic tilt, proprioception, and reaction time in low back pain patients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.655-666
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• 2010

Purpose : The examine the reliability and validity of the modified Emory Functional Ambulation Profile(mEFAP) for assessing gait function in chronic stroke patients. Methods : A total of 45 stroke patients, who had a stroke more than 6 months, participated in the study. Reliability was determined by Intra-class Correlation Coefficient($ICC_{3,1}$), including Bland and Altman method (Standard Error of Measurement: SEM, Small Real Differences: SRD). Validity was examined by correlating results to the gait ability(mEFAP, Modified Motor Assessment Scale-Gait(MMAS-G), Scandinavian Stroke Scale-Gait(SSS-G), Functional Ambulation Category(FAC), 10m Waking Test(10m WT)), and Fugl Meyer-Lower/Extremity(FM-L/E), Berg Balance Scale(BBS). Results : Inter-rater reliability for the total mEFAP was High($ICC_{2,1}$=.998), and absolute reliability were excellent (SEM: 1.75, SRD: 4.85). Subjects without assistance factor performed better on all tests than did subjects who had stroke. There were significant correlations between the mEFAP and MMAS-G, SSS-G, FAC(r=-.66~-.79), 10 m WT(r=-.86), and FM-L/E, BBS(r=-.72~-.78), indicating good validity. Increased times on the mEFAP correlated with poor performance on the gait ability, motor function of lower extremity, BBS and slow gait speeds on the 10 m WT in stroke patients. Conclusion : The mEFAP can be administered easily and comprehensively. It is a reliable gait assessment tool for patients with stroke and correlated with known of function, the mEFAP may be a clinically useful measure of ambulation.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.74-81
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• 2020

Objective: To prevent low back pain, an objective evaluation tool to evaluate pelvic mobility and exercise to improve the flexibility of the lumbar region is needed. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of pelvic mobility measurements using the Wii Balance Board (WBB) and Sensbalance Therapy Cushion (STC), evaluate the usefulness of the STC as a tool for measuring pelvic mobility. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Fifty healthy subjects participated in this study. The subjects performed pelvic mobility range, proprioception, reaction time and reach of the arm using the STC. The pelvic movement parameter was measured two times to determine the intra-rater reliability. To measure the correlation between lumbar muscle tension and pelvic mobility, Myovision was used to measure tension of L4, L5 level erector spinae muscle. Correlations between measured variables were checked to determine the validity of the pelvic mobility assessment tool. Results: STC showed high test-retest reliability in pelvic tilt measurement and reaching task [intraclass correlation coefficients (3,1)=0.804-0.915]. The relationship between WBB and STC showed a significant positive correlation with the pelvic tilt and reaching task (p<0.05). Posterior tilt and erector spinae activation (Lt. L5) showed a significant negative correlation (p<0.05). Left, right tilt and erector spinae activation (L5) showed a significant negative correlation (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study confirmed the advantages of the STC and found efficiency as an objective measuring device of pelvic mobility.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.153-158
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate variations in velar shape according to age, sex, and race using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and Methods: The study sample consisted of 170 participants (85 children, 85 adults) between 4 and 34 years of age. Velar morphology was visually classified using midsagittal MRI scans for each participant by 2 independent raters. Inter- and intra-rater reliability was assessed. Statistical analyses were performed to identify correlations of velar shape with sex, age, and race. Results: The most frequent velar shape was "butt" for both adults(41%) and children (58%) in this study. The least common shapes for adults were "leaf" and "S." The children did not exhibit any "leaf" or "straight" velar shapes. A statistically significant difference was noted for age with respect to velar shape (P=0.014). Sex and race were found to have no significant impact on velar shape in this study. Conclusion: When using MRI to evaluate velar morphology, the "butt" shape was most common in both children and adults. Velar shape varied significantly with age, while race and sex did not have a significant impact.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.262-268
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• 2022

Background: Virtual reality (VR) programs based on motion capture camera are the most convenient and cost-effective approaches for remote rehabilitation. Assessment of physical function is critical for providing optimal VR rehabilitation training; however, direct muscle strength measurement using camera-based kinematic data is impracticable. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method to indirectly estimate the muscle strength of users from the value obtained using a motion capture camera. Objects: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the pedaling speed converted using the VR engine from the captured foot position data in the VR environment can be used as an indirect way to evaluate knee muscle strength, and to investigate the validity and reliability of a camera-based VR program. Methods: Thirty healthy adults were included in this study. Each subject performed a 15-second maximum pedaling test in the VR and built-in speedometer modes. In the VR speedometer mode, a motion capture camera was used to detect the position of the ankle joints and automatically calculate the pedaling speed. An isokinetic dynamometer was used to assess the isometric and isokinetic peak torques of knee flexion and extension. Results: The pedaling speeds in VR and built-in speedometer modes revealed a significantly high positive correlation (r = 0.922). In addition, the intra-rater reliability of the pedaling speed in the VR speedometer mode was good (ICC [intraclass correlation coefficient] = 0.685). The results of the Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant moderate positive correlation between the pedaling speed of the VR speedometer and the peak torque of knee isokinetic flexion (r = 0.639) and extension (r = 0.598). Conclusion: This study suggests the potential benefits of measuring the maximum pedaling speed using 3D depth camera in a VR environment as an indirect assessment of muscle strength. However, technological improvements must be followed to obtain more accurate estimation of muscle strength from the VR cycling test.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.35 no.5 s.112
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• pp.331-340
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• 2005

Angulation and inclination of clinical crown is important for diagnosing, treatment planning and developing convenient orthodontic attachments. The aim of the study was to establish normative data with higher reliability on the angulation and inclination of clinical crown of Koreans with normal occlusion This study employed the dental casts of 307 (male. 187: female. 120) adult normal occlusion samples. The angulation and inclination of clinical crown were measured by set-up model checker In order to ensure reliability, intra- and inter-rater error were evaluated 3 times The resultant data obtained had excellent reliability however when compared with the previous data as well as with gender difference, clinically significant interpretation was impossible because the whithin-dataset normal variation was High which was common pattern of angulation and inclination measuring data of previous research The result of this biometric study seemed 4o suggest more substantive design of the multivariate. high-dimensional interpretation methodology of these normal variation is required if more compatible orthodontic appliance could be developed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1327-1331
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• 2014

Background: Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a new non-invasive, mobile screening method which does not use ionizing radiation to the human breast; allows conducting quantitative assessment of the images besides the visual interpretation. The aim of this study was to correlate the quantitative assessment and visual interpretation of breast electrical impedance tomographs and associated factors. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty mammography patients above 40 years and undergoing EIT were chosen using convenient sampling. Visual interpretation of the images was carried out by a radiologist with minimum of three years experience using the breast imaging - electrical impedance (BI-EIM) classification for detection of abnormalities. A set of thirty blinded EIT images were reinterpreted to determine the intra-rater reliability using kappa. Quantitative assessment was by comparison of the breast average electric conductivity with the norm and correlations with visual interpretation of the images were determined using Chi-square. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the mean electrical conductivity between groups and t-test was used for comparisons with pre-existing Caucasians statistics. Independent t-tests were applied to compare the mean electrical conductivity of women with factors like exogenous hormone use and family history of breast cancer. Results: The mean electrical conductivity of Malaysian women was significantly lower than that of Caucasians (p<0.05). Quantitative assessment of electrical impedance tomography was significantly related with visual interpretation of images of the breast (p<0.05). Conclusions: Quantitative assessment of electrical impedance tomography images was significantly related with visual interpretation.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.31-39
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• 2012

The lower trapezius muscle is an important stabilizer and primary mover of the scapula. The potential use of ultrasound imaging to evaluate scapular muscle function warrants investigation. The purpose of this study is to use ultrasound imaging for determining the effectiveness of 4 different isometric exercises for maximally activating the lower trapezius muscles in healthy subjects. Twenty-eight (14 men and 14 women) volunteers were recruited for this study. Thickness measurements of the lower trapezius muscles were recorded during 4 exercises: latissimus pulldown (LP), prone V-raise (PV), prone row (PR), and modified prone cobra (MP). Lower trapezius muscle thickness was measured 3 times by 2 investigators at a point 3 cm lateral to the lateral edge of the T8 spinous process. The order of 4 exercise execution was randomized for each participant. To identify statistical significance, one-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used with the significance level of .05. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for intra-reliability was .86~.98 and inter-rater reliability .83~.96 for the lower trapezius, respectively (p<.01). Thickness changes in the lower trapezius muscles between the relaxed and contracted states in men were as follows: LP ($7.37{\pm}2.68mm$, 182%), MP ($4.69{\pm}1.74mm$, 167%), PV ($4.52{\pm}1.47mm$, 149%), and PR ($3.84{\pm}1.72mm$, 133%). In women the values were as follows: LP ($4.64{\pm}1.24mm$, 163%), MP ($2.79{\pm}.81mm$, 131%), PV ($2.78{\pm}.85mm$, 129%), and PR ($2.21{\pm}1.26$ mm, 100%). Thickness of the lower trapezius muscles significantly differed between exercises in both the gender (p<.01). The LP was the most effective exercise for increasing the activation of the lower trapezius muscle in both the gender. We recommend performing the LP exercise for strengthening the lower trapezius muscles.