• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.99-106
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• 2018

Purpose : Various studies effects of mental practice. However, there is a lack of research on the effects of practice on postural alignment. Therefore this study to the effect of ankle exercise combined with mental practice on postural alignment of legs. Method : Subjects were randomly assigned to mental practice group (experimental group n=15) and general exercise group (control group n=15). Postural alignment was the hip, knee, and ankle joints. When viewed from the side, an arbitrary point in front of the malleolus makes a straight line with the plumb line. Exercise was performed a week for weeks. Exercise programs included muscle strengthening, relaxation, and proprioception exercise. The experimental group mental practice. Result : Both groups showed significant differences in postural alignment ankle joint, knee joint, and hip joint. In particular, the experimental group showed a larger change than the control group. However, significant difference in postural alignment change only the knee joint (p<0.05), and there was no significant difference the hip joint (experimental group=$0.77{\pm}0.81$, control group=$0.87{\pm}1.13$) and ankle joint (experimental group=$0.52{\pm}0.63$, control group=$0.48{\pm}0.41$). Conclusion : This study suggests that mental practice is effective as an exercise method postural alignment. Mental practice also expected to be musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, additional studies should be conducted to verify the effect of mental practice on the alignment of various parts.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.303-310
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of the contact-relax (CR) intervention on pelvic alignment in subjects with habitual poor posture. Methods: Fifteen subjects who have habitual poor posture participated in this study. The subjects received an intervention inducing pelvic posterior depression with the elevated pelvic side. Pre- and post-intervention, and two weeks after intervention, the pelvic alignment was measured with a palpation meter (PALM) and a three-dimensional diagnostic imaging system. Results: Measuring with PALM, the pelvic height and anterior tilt angle were significantly decreased immediately after and were still decreased two weeks after intervention, compared to the pre-measurement (p<0.05). Three-dimensional pelvic alignment was also significantly different between measurement points, while the pelvic position (pelvic lateral tilt) was significantly decreased after intervention (p<0.05). Conclusion: By applying the intervention generating CR on an elevated pelvis, frontal pelvic alignment can be improved.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.213-220
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• 2016

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an 8-week ProBody massage program on body alignment and plantar pressure balance in middle-aged men with musculoskeletal diseases. Method: The subjects of this study were 20 middle-aged men with musculoskeletal diseases in B Metropolitan City who participated in an 8-week ProBody massage program conducted twice a week. Physical characteristics (height, weight, and body mass index), body alignment, and plantar pressure were assessed before and after the experiment. Results: The 20 middle-aged men with musculoskeletal diseases who underwent the ProBody massage program showed positive changes in physiological characteristics, body alignment, and plantar pressure balance. Conclusion: Consequently, the 8-week ProBody massage program was suggested to be effective for improving and preventing postural imbalance in middle-aged men with musculoskeletal diseases. The ProBody massage program could also be utilized to improve the body alignment and plantar pressure balance in middle-aged women with musculoskeletal diseases.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.405-410
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• 2013

Purpose: Most studies have reported that the abdominal muscle thickness differs according to gender but none of these studies reported a gender difference in the thickness of the multifidus and erector spine. The spinal alignment is affected by the left and right balance in the trunk muscle. The aim of this study was to identify the trunk muscle symmetry according to gender and the correlations of the trunk muscle thickness with spinal alignment. Methods: Forty three subjects(27 males and 16 females) were enrolled in this study. The trunk muscle thickness was measured by ultrasonography. The trunk muscle, which consisted of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique abdominis (EOA), internal oblique abdominis (IOA), transverse abdominis (TrA), erector spine (ES), and multifidus (MF), was measured. The spinal alignment was measured by Formetric-III 3D analysis. The dependent variables of the spinal alignment were the trunk imbalance, trunk inclination, lateral deviation, and surface rotation. Results: The muscle thickness of the EOA muscle increased more significantly in the right side than the left side (p<0.05). Each left and right difference in the muscle thickness between the male and female group showed a significant difference (p<0.05) except for the TrA thickness. Significant positive correlations were observed between the ES and lateral deviation and between the TrA with trunk imbalance. Conclusion: These results suggest that asymptomatic men have a greater trunk muscle thickness than women but there was no difference between the left and right in healthy adults. The trunk muscle thickness of ES, TrA is related by the spinal alignment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.55-65
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• 2020

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of breathing exercises via joint mobilization on the lung function and spinal alignment of 30 straight-necked women in their 20 s and 30 s. METHODS: The participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group who performed breathing exercises via joint mobilization, and a control group who performed general stretching exercises. The differences between the two groups were measured and compared at three points in time: during the pre-examination, after four weeks of intervention, and after a four-week maintenance period. The changes in each group were measured before and after the intervention and after a one-month maintenance period and compared. For data analysis, the SPSS 22 was used to obtain the mean and standard deviation with a significance level of α = .05. RESULTS: Eight weeks of breathing exercises via joint mobilization and general stretching exercises positively impacted the lung function and spinal alignment in straight-necked patients. In particular, the experimental group showed more significant differences in spinal alignment after four weeks period of intervention and four weeks of maintenance. CONCLUSION: Breathing exercises via joint mobilization can be considered an effective intervention that can improve the respiratory volume and spinal alignment for patients with straight necks.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.181-188
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was performed to determine the effects of a gluteus maximus strengthening exercise on both spinal alignment and dynamic balance in subjects with kyphosis. Methods: We measured the kyphosis angle of 150 subjects and selected those whose kyphosis angle was > $50^{\circ}$. The participants included 10 male and 12 female college students. After a gluteus maximus strengthening exercise was applied, the subjects were measured by the formetric 4D and Biorescue systems. The collected data were analyzed by a paired t-test with the SPSS (Ver. 21) program for spinal alignment and dynamic balance comparisons both before and after the gluteus maximus strengthening exercise was completed. Results: The results regarding spinal alignment showed statistically significant decreases in pelvic tilt, kyphotic angle, and lordotic angle after the intervention (p < .05). However, trunk imbalance, pelvic torsion, surface rotation, and lateral deviation were not significantly different after the exercise. The results of the dynamic balance showed statistically significant increases in limits of stability after the exercise (p < .05). Conclusion: The above results suggest that the implemented gluteus maximus strengthening exercise may be effective for spinal alignment and dynamic balance in subjects with kyphosis.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.156-160
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• 2021

Objective: Low back pain easily becomes chronic and has a high recurrence rate. Therefore, it is most important to prevent chronicity and reduce the risk of recurrence in the early stages of back pain or at the stage with mild pain. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare hip joint muscle strength, trunk muscle endurance, and pelvic alignment between subjects with mild low back pain and subjects without back pain. Design: Crossed-sectional study Methods: The study was conducted by recruiting 30 students in their twenties who are enrolled in K University in Gyeongsangnam-do, and classifying them into 15 patients with mild back pain and 15 patients with normal. The subjects who participated in the experiment were measured for hip flexor and extensor muscle strength, trunk flexion and extension muscle endurance, and pelvic alignment. To measure hip joint muscle strength, biodex was used, and muscle endurance of the trunk was recorded at the end range of the trunk flexion and extension. And pelvic alignment was measured using Formetric 4D. Results: There were no significant differences in hip joint muscle strength, pelvic alignment, and trunk extension muscle endurance. The retention time was found to be significantly shorter in the mild low back pain group than in the normal group for trunk flexion muscle endurance. Conclusions: In the early stages of back pain or in the mild pain stage, training to increase muscle endurance of the flexor muscles may be helpful.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.169-174
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• 2014

Purpose: This study demonstrated a postural alignment exercise as conservative management strategy for a woman with excessive thoracic kyphosis presenting decreased chest function, and reports its results. Methods: A 21-year-old woman with thoracic kyphosis presenting limited chest function. The exercise program underwent for 30 min in the intervention phase, which consisted of exercises to improve the strength of back extensor and to stretch anterior chest region. Outcome measures comprised the severity of thoracic kyphosis and chest function (vital capacity [VC], forced expiratory volume in a second [FEV1], and chest expansion length). Results: The thoracic kyphotic angle decreased by 23.6% ($9.38^{\circ}$) and 25.4% ($10.58^{\circ}$) in the intervention and follow-up phases respectively. Also, chest function was improved in the intervention (VC: 3.7% [$0.10{\ell}$], FEV1: 17.1% [$0.39{\ell}$], and chest expansion length: 17.1% [0.96 cm]), and the improvement was maintained during the follow-up phase (VC: 4.8% [$0.13{\ell}$], FEV1: 17.1% [$0.39{\ell}$], and chest expansion length: 64.3% [1.81 cm]). Conclusion: These findings suggest that the postural alignment exercise was favorable for improving chest function of a woman with thoracic kyphosis.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.209-215
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of postural control training using a horseback riding simulation on the spinal alignment of children with cerebral palsy. Methods: This study was conducted with 30 children with cerebral palsy at levels I~IV in the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), and they were randomly divided into a control group and a hippotherapy group. Both the control group and the experimental group received NDT for 30 minutes per session, four times per week for ten weeks, while the experimental group also received hippotherapy 15 minutes per session, four times per week for ten weeks, after the neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT). The horseback riding simulators (JOBA, EU7805, Panasonic) used in this study simulated actual horse movements. Trunk imbalance, pelvic torsion, and pelvic tilt were measured in each group before the exercise and five weeks and ten weeks after the beginning of the exercise using a spinal structure analysis system (ABW Mapper). Results: The Intra-group effects on trunk imbalance, pelvic torsion, and pelvic tilt according to the exercise periods after the hippotherapy were tested, and the results showed significant interaction effects between the groups and the periods (p<0.05). Conclusion: The horseback riding simulation exercise was shown to be effective for the spinal alignment of children with cerebral palsy. Therefore, additional studies should be conducted with more children with CP divided by type.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.809-814
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• 2015

This study was conducted to identify how a flexi-bar exercise influences body alignment and balance in adults who have asymmetry in their right or left body. In total, 20 participants were separated into the experimental group and the comparison group. Those in the experimental group participated in a flexi-bar exercise for 6 weeks and based on the coronal plane before and after exercise, their body alignment and balance were measured behind the body. The result was those who had participated in a flexi-bar exercise significantly improved their angle of acromion on both sides, the difference in the angle and height of the posterior superior iliac spine on both sides(p<.05), and the balance of the center sagittal plane(p<.05). Through this study, it could be said that participating in a flexi-bar exercise would improve postural alignment and balance of the shoulder and pelvis in adults with asymmetric posture.