• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.155-162
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the effect of Korean medical treatment on a patient with relapsing transverse myelitis. Methods : The patient was treated using acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine and other treatments including moxibustion and therapeutic exercise for 8 weeks. We evaluated the patient's motor grade with medical research council(MRC) scale and evaluated active range of motion in the hip, knee, and anke joint. Results : Through treatment the patient's motor grade and active range of motion all improved. Other symptoms such as lower limb hypoesthesia and residual urine sensation also showed improvement. Conclusions : We concluded that Korean medicine treatment had respectable effect in improving symptoms on the patient with relapsing transverse myelitis.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.357-364
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• 2010

This study proposes a lower-limb exoskeleton system that is controlled by a wearer's muscle activity. This system is designed by following procedure. First, analyze the muscle activation patterns of human leg while walking. Second, select the adequate actuator to support the human walking based on calculation of required force of knee joint for step walking. Third, unit type knee and ankle orthotics are integrated with selected actuator. Finally, using this knee-assistive system (KAS) and developed muscle stiffness sensors (MSS), the muscle activity pattern of the subject is analyzed while he is walking on the stair. This study proposes an operating algorithm of KAS based on command signal of MSS which is generated by motion intent of human. A healthy and normal subject walked while wearing the developed powered-knee exoskeleton on his/her knees, and measured effectively assisted plantar flexor strength of the subject's knees and those neighboring muscles. Finally, capabilities and feasibility of the KAS are evaluated by testing the adapted motor pattern and the EMG signal variance while walking with exoskeleton. These results shows that developed exoskeleton which controlled by muscle activity could help human's walking acceptably.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.315-325
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• 2022

Background: Firefighters are required to carry self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which increases the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. This study assessed the newly recruited firefighters' internal forces and potential musculoskeletal disorders when carrying SCBA. The effects of SCBA strap lengths were also evaluated. Methods: Kinematic parameters of twelve male subjects running in a control condition with no SCBA equipped and three varying-strapped SCBAs were measured using 3D inertial motion capture. Subsequently, motion data and predicted ground reaction force were inputted for subject-specific musculoskeletal modeling to estimate joint and muscle forces. Results: The knee was exposed to the highest internal force when carrying SCBA, followed by the rectus femoris and hip, while the shoulder had the lowest force compared to the no-SCBA condition. Our model also revealed that adjusting SCBA straps length was an efficient strategy to influence the force that occurred at the lumbar spine, hip, and knee regions. Grey relation analysis indicated that the deviation of the center of mass, step length, and knee flexion-extension angle could be used as the predictor of musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusion: The finding suggested that the training of the newly recruits focuses on the coordinated movement of muscle and joints in the lower limb. The strap lengths around 98-105 cm were also recommended. The findings are expected to provide injury interventions to enhance the occupational health and safety of the newly recruited firefighters.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.78-85
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• 2023

Background: Despite fall prevention strategies suggested by researchers, falls are still a major health concern in older adults. Understanding factors that differentiate successful versus unsuccessful balance recovery may help improve the prevention strategies. Objects: The purpose of this review was to identify biomechanical factors that differentiate successful versus unsuccessful balance recovery in the event of a fall. Methods: The literature was searched through Google Scholar and PubMed. The following keywords were used: 'falls,' 'protective response,' 'protective strategy,' 'automated postural response,' 'slips,' 'trips,' 'stepping strategy,' 'muscle activity,' 'balance recovery,' 'successful balance recovery,' and 'failed balance recovery.' Results: A total of 64 articles were found and reviewed. Most of studies included in this review suggested that kinematics during a fall was important to recover balance successfully. To be successful, appropriate movements were required, which governed by several things depending on the direction and characteristics of the fall. Studies also suggested that lower limb muscle activity and joint moments were important for successful balance recovery. Other factors associated with successful balance recovery included fall direction, age, appropriate protective strategy, overall health, comorbidity, gait speed, sex and anticipation of the fall. Conclusion: This review discusses biomechanical factors related to successful versus unsuccessful balance recovery to help understand falls. Our review should help guide future research, or improve prevention strategies in the area of fall and injuries in older adults.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.179-190
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to identify whether or not in one-leg vertical jump of each limb asymmetry between both sides is present and to identify how the discrepancies between both limbs affect two-leg jumping performance, that is bilateral deficit. We had 13 healthy subjects perform one-leg jump for both sides and two-leg countermovement jump. The result of biomechanical analysis showed significantly difference of 4-7% in net impulses and work output between dominant and non-dominant one-leg jump and bilateral deficit of 24% when sum of those of each one-leg jump was compared with two-leg jump. But asymmetry in lower extremity was not significantly correlated with bilateral deficit. Two-leg jump could be characterized by relatively short propulsion time, long propulsion distance and high joint angular velocity compared with one-leg jump. These factors seemed to contribute to decreased performance in two-leg jump. Furthermore bilateral deficit was attributed to lower activities of extensor muscles found in two-leg jump.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.319-329
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• 2015

The purpose of this paper is to analyze lower extremities pattern of daily activities and walking on the treadmill with passive body support system. The experiments will be used for basic research of developing active harness system. The experimental procedure has been validated on 5 healthy male subjects and we measured foot pressure and 8 section of lower limb muscles activities. The EMG results of ADL indicate that there have specific muscle activity patterns followed by each activities. The vastus lateralis muscle activities were highly seems on the activities that requires flection and extension of knee joint. The foot pressure value of stair descent activity was the highest due to the fact that it is come down to the direction of gravity. The results with the passive body weight support percentages show that the EMG and foot pressure values were declined according to increasement of the body weight support percentages. Therefore the body weight support system could apply gait rehabilitation system for various patients by changing the percentages of the body weight support.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 2015

In this paper, we present an inertial sensor-based gait analysis system to measure and analyze lower-limb movements. We developed an integral AHRS(Attitude Heading Reference System) using a combination of rate gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer sensor signals. Several AHRS modules mounted on segments of the patient's body provide the quaternions representing the patient segments's orientation in space. And a method is also proposed for calculating three-dimensional inter-segment joint angle which is an important bio-mechanical measure for a variety of applications related to rehabilitation. To evaluate the performance of our AHRS module, the Vicon motion capture system, which offers millimeter resolution of 3D spatial displacements and orientations, is used as a reference. The evaluation resulted in a RMSE(Root Mean Square Error) of 1.08 and 1.72 degree in yaw and pitch angle. In order to evaluate the performance of our the gait analysis system, we compared the joint angle for the hip, knee and ankle with those provided by Vicon system. The result shows that our system will provide an in-depth insight into the effectiveness, appropriate level of care, and feedback of the rehabilitation process by performing real-time limb or gait analysis during the post-stroke recovery.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.45-51
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• 2008

Purpose: We evaluated the physical stress and pain to the musculoskeletal system of a dental practitioner when engaging in a dental scaling training exercise to prevent the development of musculoskeletal injuries. Methods: The 18 female (average age: 21$\pm$1 years) subjects were voluntarily picked from a group of juniors who have completed a one-and-a-half year training course that includes training exercises on the dentiform and on live subjects (other trainees). The test is done by measuring pain, activity, grip strength, and finger dexterity for each subject's hand and wrist. Before the test all subjects were confirmed to be right-handed and were informed of the study and its objective. Measuring was done before and after each subject performed dental scaling for one hour using the scaler and the curet. Results: Pain levels increased for both hand and shoulders, but hand pain was often greater than shoulder pain. Grip strength significantly declined in the right hand but not the left. For joint mobility, the flexion and the extension for the shoulder joint did not change; but the range of motion for both wrist joints significantly increased. For the dexterity test, both hands showed increased dexterity after the exercise. Conclusion: Dental scaling can affect the shoulders and wrists/hands. Therefore, a musculoskeletal injury prevention program for dental practitioners, which may include encouraging them to assume correct body posture when at work, must be sought. This study evaluated only the shoulders, wrists, and hands; but future studies should include areas such as the cervical area, the back, and the lower limbs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.33-41
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• 2018

PURPOSE: Femur and tibia alignment in the knee joint is important to the biomechanics of lower limb movement. The purpose of this study was to compare vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus lateralis electromyographic muscle activities according to tibial rotation taping methods. METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy subjects (13 males and 16 females) in the 20s, without knee joint-related diseases or disorders, participated in our study. After identifying each subject's dominant foot, the maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) was determined using a manual muscle tester. The activity of each target muscle was measured at 50% MVIC in isometric muscle contraction and at a $30^{\circ}$ knee flexion position before and after applying internal and external rotation taping by the Mulligan concept and in the neutral position. Non-elastic tape was used to stabilize the tibia rotation position. RESULTS: In the males, VMO muscle activity was significantly increased in the tibia internal rotation position ($47.2{\pm}14.6$, $mean{\pm}SD$) than in the neutral position ($39.3{\pm}14.9$) (p<.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that when applying tibia internal rotation taping in healthy males, VMO muscle activity significantly increases during isometric extension of the knee. Therefore, this study provides a basis for selecting the appropriate taping method, in consideration of the available treatments in clinical practice for patients with knee problems.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.511-517
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• 2004

The existing rehabilitation systems were developed to exercise specific joints only. Therefore rehabilitating the various joints of human, various kinds of devices are need. To overcome these defects, this paper proposed the CMRS, an integrated system that performs various rehabilitation exercises. The characteristics of motion and the positions between human body and the system were investigated with the kinematics analysis of upper and lower limb of human body. We presented a proper mechanism to develop a rehabilitation device on the base of the study and studied the relative positions between head part and human joints. Through the simulations, the possibility of rehabilitation system was verified. And the base frame was also developed for convenient and stable position control. Finally, the CMRS was developed as an 8 degree of freedom mechanism. It is expected that the CMRS will be applied to the rehabilitations of various joints.