• PNF and Movement
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.333-343
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a neck exercise using a proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) neck flexion and extension pattern on body balance in a progressive range of positions (supine, prone on elbow, and sitting), on numbness in the upper extremities, and on neck flexion motions in cervical myelopathy patients. Methods: One participant who was diagnosed with cervical myelopathy participated in this study. A reversal design (A-B-A') was used. The A and A' were the baseline period (no intervention), and B was the intervention period. The intervention used a neck extension pattern with a hold-relax technique and a neck flexion pattern with a combination of isotonic techniques in the supine position. Then, neck flexion and extension patterns were applied together with a reversal technique for stabilization, followed by a neck extension pattern with a combination of isotonic techniques in the prone position on the elbows. Finally, a neck flexion and extension pattern was used with a stabilizing reversal technique, and a neck extension pattern was applied with a combination of isotonic techniques in the sitting position for 60 minutes per day, 3 times per week for 8 weeks. To measure balance, numbness, and neck motion during neck flexion, the one-leg stand test and the visual analogue scale were used. Results: The right and left one-leg stand tests showed increased balance ability in the intervention phase. Upper extremity numbness was decreased in the intervention phase, and neck flexion motion was increased in the intervention phase. These increases were maintained after the intervention (Baseline II). Conclusion: These results suggest that a neck exercise using a PNF neck pattern with additional techniques in a progressive range of positions has a positive effect on cervical myelopathy patients for balance, numbness, and neck motion.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.15-23
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• 1996

The purpose of this study to evaluate and compare the proprioception of the dominant knee joint at different conditions in normal 20 years of age. The pripriocption was measured at sitting, supine, prone position with the eyes opened and the eyes closed. All were assessed with and without a knee brace around the knee by reproduction the position to which a joint has previously been placed. In this study, 24 rehabilitation therapy major students were assessed at Hansoe University. In this study applied the paired t-test and 1-way ANOVA to determine the statistical significance of results at 0.05 level of significance. The error average of proprioception was $4.65{\pm}2.95^{\circ}$ with the eyes closed and $4.08{\pm}1.14^{\circ}$ with the eyes opened in sitting position, $5.56{\pm}3.18^{\circ}$ with the eyes closed and $4.98{\pm}2.99^{\circ}$ with the eyes opened in supine position and $5.60{\pm}1.64^{\circ}$ with the eyes closed and $4.87{\pm}2.16^{\circ}$ with the eyes opened in prone position. There was no significantly difference the error average between the eyes opened group and the eyes closed group. There was no significantly difference the error average among the three positions. The error average decreased significantly in knee brace group at all conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.75-82
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a vibration feedback system in improving two safe seating postures of office workers. In addition, the relative effectiveness of positive and negative feedback procedures was examined. Participants were four office workers. The dependent variables were the percentages of time participants spent in the safe sitting postures including shoulder, back, and overall body positions during the experimental sessions. A multiple-baseline design counterbalanced across participants was adopted. For two participants, the negative procedure was introduced first after baseline and positive procedure was introduced in the next phase. For the other two participants, the sequence of introducing the positive and negative feedback procedures was reversed. The result showed that the vibration feedback system, regardless of the type of the procedure, was effective in improving the safe sitting postures for all participants. However, the difference between the two procedures was not clearly shown. The benefits of the automated observation and vibration feedback system in workers' safety were discussed.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.136-144
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• 2022

Objective: This study was to identify the effect of pressure biofeedback applied in various postures that allow the application of abdominal drawing-in. Design: A cross sectional study. Methods: The study intended to compare changes in the thickness of abdominal muscles between different postures when abdominal drawing-in was performed using a pressure biofeedback unit in five postures and to compare differences in terms of measures such as the transverse abdominis's preferential activation ratio(PAR). Data measured from 30 healthy individuals were used for data analysis. A paired t-test and repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to compare the thickness of each abdominal muscle. Results: The transverse abdominis's and internal oblique's thickness showed statistically significant differences in all postures when abdominal drawing-in (p<0.05). In the comparison between the postures, statistically significant differences were observed between the positions of hook-lying and wall support standing and between supine and wall support standing and between hook-lying and sitting (p<0.05). In terms of the transverse abdominis's PAR in each posture, statistically significant differences were observed between hook-lying and quadruped, hook-lying and sitting, hook-lying and wall support standing, quadruped and supine, sitting and supine, as well as wall support standing and supine (p<0.05). Conclusions: When abdominal drawing-in using pressure biofeedback unit is performed for stabilization exercises, selecting and applying specific postures according to targeted muscles and the subject's functional ability will help provide a more efficient and accurate intervention.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.106-116
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• 2022

Background: Shoulder external rotation exercises are commonly used to improve the stabilizing ability of the infraspinatus. However, during exercise, excessive activation of the posterior deltoid compared to the infraspinatus causes the humeral head to move anteriorly in an abnormal position. Many researchers have emphasized selective activation of the infraspinatus during shoulder external rotation exercise. Objects: This study aims to delineate the optimal exercise method for selective activation of infraspinatus by investigating the muscle activities of the infraspinatus and posterior deltoid according to the four shoulder exercise methods and two forearm positions. Methods: Thirty healthy individuals participated in this study. The participants were instructed to perform shoulder external rotation exercises following four exercise methods: sitting external rotation (SIER); standing external rotation at 90° abduction (STER); prone external rotation at 90° abduction (PRER); side-lying external rotation (SLER), and two forearm positions (neutral, supinated). The electromyography (EMG) signal amplitude was measured during each exercise. Surface EMG signals were recorded from the posterior deltoid, infraspinatus, and biceps brachii. Results: EMG results of the infraspinatus and posterior deltoid in PRER, were significantly higher than that of the other exercises (p < 0.01). The EMG ratio (infraspinatus/posterior deltoid) in SIER was significantly higher than that of the other exercises. EMG activation of the posterior deltoid in SIER, PRER, and SLER was significantly higher in neutral than in supinated (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the EMG of the infraspinatus in SIER was significantly higher in neutral than in supinated (p < 0.01). The EMG ratio (infraspinatus/ posterior deltoid) in SIER was significantly higher in neutral than in supinated (p < 0.05.) Contrarily EMG ratios in PRER and SLER were significantly higher in supinated than in neutral (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results show that clinicians should consider these exercise methods and forearm positions when planning shoulder external rotation exercises for optimal shoulder rehabilitation.

• IE interfaces
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.288-296
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• 2005

Many jobs and activities in our daily lives require squatting postures. The fore part includes housekeepers, farmers, and welders and the latter includes a wide variety of activities such as housekeeping; planting, cultivating and harvesting various agricultural products; grinding, welding, etc. It is speculated that prolonged squatting postures without any supporting stool would gradually cause musculoskeletal injuries to workers. This study is conducted to examine the proper height of stools according to the position of the working materials and to develop wearable stools for workers with squatting posture. Forty male and female subjects participated in the experiment to find the proper height of stools according to the position of the working materials. Subjects were asked to squat and work with 3 different working positions: floor level; ankle level; shank level of 3 different stool height conditions: 10cm height; 15cm height; and 20cm height. After 5 minutes of maintaining a squatting work posture while sitting on the different height stools, Likert summated rating method as well as pairwise ranking test was applied to evaluate the user preferences for provided stools under the conditions of different working positions. The results of statistical analysis show that the subjects preferred 10cm height stool for floor level, 15cm height stool for ankle level, 20cm height stool for knee level. We thus strongly recommend to use appropriate height stools in accordance with the different working positions. Moreover, a prototype wearable stool was designed such that workers with squatting posture do not need to move the stool while they are moving about. The purpose of developing wearable stool was to decrease the physical stress and hence promote worker's health who work with squatting posture.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.275-282
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the optimal positions of safety grab bars for effective sit-to-stand (STS) movement by comparing the results of the STS movement while using a safety grab bar installed under two different conditions: the height of the grab bar installation was determined by (1) the Building Act and (2) the principle of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). Methods: A total of 50 undergraduate students participated in this study, and they were required to perform an STS movement twice under each condition. A baropodometric platform for sitting and a Biorescue (RM Ingenierie, France) were used to collect and analyze changes in the center of pressure (COP) on the left and right sides before and after performing the STS movement. The average completion time for the STS movement was also measured for analysis. Moreover, the participants were asked to express their individual subjective preferences regarding the two positions of the grab bars. Results: The COP changes were significantly smaller when performing the STS movement with the grab bar installed at the height determined by the PNF principle than the Building Act (p<0.01), and the difference in the completion time of the STS movement was not statistically significant between the two conditions. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the principle of PNF can be useful for planning therapeutic exercise as well as for proposing the optimal grab bar position for older adults and those with health-related issues when performing the STS movement. In addition, this may serve as a basic rehabilitation technique for maintaining remaining functions and providing functional efficiency.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.1757-1761
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• 2001

"Drifting cups on a meandering stream" is a same originating from the ancient China. It takes advantage of the stopover of the cup at the different positions on a meandering stream to choose a person sitting on the bank to participate the game. In this paper, a model is devised to make the cups move around or stop at some place on the stream as required by the game. A typical flow field Is abstracted and studied using the PIV technique and the topological analysis. Some motions of the cup on the stream have been explained in the mechanics theory.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1514-1526
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• 2002

The objective of this study is to ascertain the major considerations when designing slacks for automobile drivers reflecting the elasticity of the human body posture. The scope of this study aims to find out the causes of discomfort in driving positions based on the results of a questionnaire survey and body measurements fur slacks, as well testing four types of experimental slacks for comfort and fitness when sitting on a driver's seat and in the standing position. Based on the results, a slacks design for drivers with improved comfort and fitness is suggested.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1090-1094
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• 2017

This study investigated the effects of indirectly applying proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) to the scapular adductor muscles of stroke patients on their scapular movements and walking ability. Five patients who were diagnosed with stroke participated in this study as a single group. PNF patterns were applied to the scapulae anterior elevation and posterior depression patterns and upper limbs patterns of the patients in side lying and sitting positions together. The data were analyzed with a paired t-test in order to identify within-group differences in the measurements before and after the intervention. The scapular movements of the upper and lower parts, weight bearing and walking speed were significantly improved in the stroke patients after the application of PNF (p<0.05). These results suggest that PNF training effective in improving the scapular movements and walking ability in patients with stroke.