• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.149-157
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• 2010

Objectives: To quantify disability level in salespeople with concurrent low back pain (LBP) and to determine the relative associations between demographic, occupational, psychosocial and clinical factors and back disability. LBP is the most common cause of work-related disability in people under 45 years of age and the most expensive cause of work-related disability, in terms of workers' compensation and medical expenses. Evidence suggests high prevalence of LBP in salespeople. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in which 184 saleswomen with a current episode of self-reported LBP working in a large up-scale department store filled out a battery of 6 self-administered questionnaires and received a standardised physical examination. Results: Saleswomen with concurrent LBP had low disability levels. Factors significantly associated with disability were pain intensity, measured by a visual analogue scale, in the past week (p < 0.001), physical and mental health status (p < 0.001, p = 0.003, respectively), fear avoidance scores for both work and physical activities (p = 0.031, p = 0.014, respectively), past history of LBP (p = 0.019), and self-reported frequency of pushing or pulling objects placed in high positions during work (p = 0.047). A significant level (45%) of the variance in disability status was explained by these variables. Conclusion: In clinical management of LBP workers who required prolonged standing, such as salespeople, clinicians should look for modifiable risk factors associated with disability. Specific measures need to be taken to prevent disability due to LBP among salespeople.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2016

Background: Previous research has shown that paramedics are exposed to risks in the form of injuries to the musculoskeletal system. In addition, there are studies showing that they are also at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and psychiatric diseases, which can partly be explained by their constant exposure to stress. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the use of shoulder straps decreases physical effort in the form of decreased heart rate and cortisol concentration. Methods: A stretcher with a dummy was carried by 20 participants for 400 m on two occasions, one with and one without the shoulder straps. Heart rate was monitored continuously and cortisol samples were taken at intervals of 0 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 60 minutes. Each participant was her or his own control. Results: A significant decrease in heart rate and cortisol concentration was seen when shoulder straps were used. The median values for men (with shoulder straps) at 0 minutes was 78 bpm/21.1 nmol/L (heart rate/cortisol concentration), at 15 minutes was 85 bpm/16.9 nmol/L, and at 60 minutes was 76 bpm/15.7 nmol/L; for men without shoulder straps, these values were 78 bpm/21.9 nmol/L, 93 bpm/21.9 nmol/L, and 73 bpm/20.5 nmol/L. For women, the values were 85 bpm/23.3 nmol/L, 92 bpm/20.8 nmol/L, and 70 bpm/18.4 nmol/L and 84 bpm/32.4 nmol/L, 100 bpm/32.5 nmol/L, and 75 bpm/25.2 nmol/L, respectively. Conclusion: The use of shoulder straps decreases measurable physical stress and should therefore be implemented when heavy equipment or a stretcher needs to be carried. An easy way to ensure that staff use these or similar lifting aids is to provide them with personalized, well-adapted shoulder straps. Another better option would be to routinely sewn these straps into the staff's personal alarm jackets so they are always in place and ready to be used.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.239-248
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• 2018

Background: Workers may be exposed to various types of occupational hazards at the same time, potentially increasing the risk of adverse health outcomes. The aim of this review was to analyze the effects of multiple occupational exposures and coexposures to chemical, biomechanical, and physical hazards on adverse health outcomes among agricultural workers. Methods: Articles published in English between 1990 and 2015 were identified using five popular databases and two complementary sources. The quality of the included publications was assessed using the methodology developed by the Effective Public Health Practice Project assessment tool for quantitative studies. Results: Fifteen articles were included in the review. Multiple chemical exposures were significantly associated with an increased risk of respiratory diseases, cancer, and DNA and cytogenetic damage. Multiple physical exposures seemed to increase the risk of hearing loss, whereas coexposures to physical and biomechanical hazards were associated with an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders among agricultural workers. Conclusion: Few studies have explored the impact of multiple occupational exposures on the health of agricultural workers. A very limited number of studies have investigated the effect of coexposures among biomechanical, physical, and chemical hazards on occupational health, which indicates a need for further research in this area.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.4395-4403
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• 2010

The aim of this study is to know about condition of alternative medicine. Methods which An literature search in Pubmed January 2000 to March, 2010 was performed. RCT(Randomized Controlled Trial), CCT(Controled Clinical Trials), and OD(efficacy studies with either a controlled or an Other than controlled Design) were included. PubMed databases were searched using key terms relating to alternative medicine. 19 clinical trials were included among 682 studies searched. RCT was 44%, CCT was 16% and OD was 40% in the review. In the all of included studies, the acupuncture and the massage was the biggest part. The using rate was 20% of pain control about Disease of the Musculoskeletal system and Connective tissue, 15% of Certain infectious and parasitic diseases, and 15% of Neoplasms. There was lack of evidence that alternative medicine was effective for progress. Future well-designed clinical trials is needed.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.52
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• pp.339.1-339.11
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• 2018

Background: Hip pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint in general practice. Although comprehensive diagnostic approach on hip pain is mandatory for adequate treatment, un- or mis-diagnosis is not rare in primary care. The aim of this study was to analyze descriptively un- or mis-diagnosed hip pain cases referred from primary care to a tertiary hospital, especially in young adults ${\leq}50years\;old$. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a consecutive cohort of 150 patients (${\leq}50years\;old$) with chronic hip pain (${\geq}6weeks$), which was not diagnosed or misdiagnosed based on the information provided on the referral form. Results: Overall an average 32 cases/month were referred due to hip pain without a diagnosis or with an incorrect diagnosis. Among them, 150 patients were enrolled in this study and 146 (97.3%) could be allocated to a specific disease by using data from routine clinical practice. Four common final diagnoses were femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome (55.3%), hip dysplasia (HD, 13.3%), referred pain from the lumbar spine (9.3%), and spondyloarthritis (SpA, 7.3%). In patients with FAI syndrome, 37 (44.0%) had pincer-type FAI and 33 (39.8%) had combined-type. Although the pain site or gender was not tightly clustered, the distribution of final diagnosis was significantly different according to hip pain location or gender. Especially, SpA or HD was not observed in younger women subgroup or elder men subgroup, respectively, when stratified by the mean age of participants. Conclusion: Most (> 80%) young patients with hip pain, a difficult issue to diagnosis for many primary physicians, had FAI syndrome, HD, spine lesions, and SpA. This study could give a chance to feedback information about cases with un- or mis-diagnosed hip pain, and it suggests that primary physicians need to be familiar with the diagnostic approach for these 4 diseases.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.174-186
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• 2018

Objectives : The aim of this survey was to investigate the general characteristics of sports injury patients in Korean medical institutions by Korean Medicine Doctors (KMDs) and the treatment patterns of Korean medicine for ankle sprain which is one of the common sports injuries. Methods : An online survey was conducted on KMDs interested in sports injuries to assess their experience and perception of sports injuries including diagnosis, intervention, and treatment plan for ankle sprain. Results : A total of 276 KMDs participated in the survey. They answered that 12% (median, range 0~80%) of patients visiting a Korean medical institution had sports injuries. Sports injuries frequently occur in the ankle, back, shoulder, knee, and elbow and the most common sports injury was sprain/strain. Many participants were aware that sports injuries should be treated differently from other musculoskeletal diseases in general. They reported that confirmation of fracture, swelling, and tenderness was essential to diagnose ankle sprains. Acupuncture was the most commonly used treatment and reported to need 2 to 6 weeks of treatment period, depending on the severity. Conclusions : Based on the findings regarding treatment of sports injury patients by KMDs, this study would be utilized as basic information for pragmatic clinical research design related to sports medicine in the future.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.86-98
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• 2019

Objectives: This study analyzes the electronic medical record (EMR) data of the spine specialist oriental hospital and clinic in various regions, and reports the actual number and used cases of Chuna therapy. Methods: 2,470,772 data was extracted retrospectively from electronic medical records of all inpatients and outpatients who were treated chuna therapy at 21 Korean medicine hospitals and clinics from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. The characteristics of medical treatment using chuna therapy reflect the minimum, maximum and average values of the number of hospitalized patients, length of hospitalization, frequency of hospitalization, number of outpatients, frequency of treatment and frequency of visit. Diseases were classified in the proportion of Chuna treatment according to the KCD, 7th edition. The chuna and blindness charts were derived accordingly from illness and disease of each part of the body. Results: During the study period, a total 1,342,022 inpatients and outpatients visited the study sites. The male proportion was a little higher than the females' (male: 53.7%, female: 46.3%). According to age, the 30s and 40s were more than half the total(30s: 33.0% and 40s: 20.1%). Chuna therapy was treated to more outpatients than hospitalized patients (outpatient: 83.6%, hospitalization: 16.4%), and most treatments were related to musculoskeletal illness(99.06%). Conclusions: As a result of this study, 1,342,389 chuna therapy was performed in 21 hospitals for one year. As highly demanded by the public, we look forward to ensuring national health care options and medical access when health insurance for chuna therapy is applied beginning March 2019.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.125-133
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• 2019

Objective: To compare the postural control between non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) subgroups and healthy people during dynamic balance performance using a modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT). Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Eighteen NSCLBP subjects (9 active extension pattern [AEP], 9 flexion pattern [FP]), and 10 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. All subjects performed mSEBT on their dominant leg on a force plate. Normalized reach distance and balance parameters, including the center of pressure (COP) displacement and velocity, were recorded. Results: There were significant differences in mean reach distances in both posterolateral and posteromedial (PM) reach directions between AEP and healthy subjects (p<0.001) and between FP and healthy subjects (p<0.001). However, there were no significant differences among the three groups in the anterior reach direction. Also, the results showed no significant differences in mean COP variables (velocity and displacement) between pooled NSCLBP and healthy subjects. However, the subjects were reclassified into AEP, FP and healthy groups and the results showed a significant difference in mean COP velocity in the PM direction between AEP and FP subjects (p=0.048), and between AEP and healthy subjects (p=0.024). Conclusions: The findings in this study highlight the heterogeneity of the individuals with NSCLBP and the importance of identifying the homogenous subgroups. Individuals with AEP and FP experience deficits in dynamic postural control compared to healthy controls. In addition, the findings of this study support the concept of the Multidimensional Classification System.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2019

Purpose: Continuous use of a smartphone increases the angle of forward bending of the user's cervical vertebrae, causing pain in the shoulders and back, including the thorax, lumbar region, and vertebrae. Although there are many studies on changes in the cervical spine due to smartphone usage, the changes in the shoulders, thoracolumbar spine, and pelvic have rarely been compared. The purpose of this study is to investigate the change in the spinal segments, shoulders, and pelvic when using a smartphone with both hands while in the standing position. Methods: This study was conducted on 35 adults in their twenties. The selection criteria for the subjects were limited to those in a similar age group, thus excluding posture differences according to age, and to those who did not have specific diseases or pain in the spinal and musculoskeletal system for 12 months prior to the study. In this study, we used a 3D spinal diagnostic imaging system (Back Mapper, Frickenhausen) to compare the changing conditions in each vertebral segment before and during smartphone usage with both hands while in the standing position. Posture differences according to smartphone usage were compared using the paired t-test for the motion of each spinal segment. Results: This study showed that the thoracic and lumbar angle increased posteriorly during smartphone usage (p<0.05). In addition, the anterior rotation angle of the shoulder bone significantly increased, but no significant difference occurred in the pelvic region. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, smartphone usage with both hands while in the standing position showed that the spine, as a whole, forms a kyphotic curve. Therefore, we propose to present a postural guideline for correct smartphone usage, considering the change in each vertebral segment.

• The Korean journal of sports medicine
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.197-206
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• 2018

Purpose: This study analyzed the muscle activity changes induced by motions of reaching forward and chest expansion that were examined from the bilateral muscles with rectus abdominis, external oblique, multifidus, and longissimus thoracic using Pilates cadillac instrument. Methods: Nine young adult women, who have no musculoskeletal disorder and any of chronic diseases, were participated. Surface electromyography system was used for recording of all signals produced by muscles, and then normalized as percentage of maximum voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC). The paired t-test and repeated measures of analysis of variance was performed. Results: Reaching-forward motion showed a higher muscle activity from non-dominant external oblique muscle than that of the chest-expansion motion. During both reaching-forward motion and chest-expansion motion, MVIC values collected from dominant side of external oblique muscle were shown a significantly lower than the values obtained from non-dominant side (p<0.05). Conversely, %MVIC values in external oblique muscle collected from dominant side showed a significantly higher than the values obtained from non-dominant side of the same oblique muscle (p<0.05). Reaching-forward motion was caused a higher %MVIC on non-dominant external oblique muscle than that of the chest-expansion motion (p<0.05). Regardless of dominant or non-dominant sides, external oblique muscle was shown the highest activation rate of all the other muscles during reaching forward action, and longissimus thoracic muscle was shown the highest activation rate of all the other muscles during chest expansion action. Conclusion: Reaching-forward motion is suitable for activating an external oblique muscle, and chest-expansion motion is an effective enough in activating of longissimus thoracic muscle.