• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.107-115
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• 2015

The study targeted Japanese employees who have visited hospital for spinal disorder. The study analyzed work environment and pain relief methods of work-related back pain patients, and the relationship between back pain and other body parts. The purpose of this study was to provide draw up measures for patients with back pain and to provide basic data for the sustainable prevention program. The study result of back pain, in other words, employees suffering from lumbago, had disparity between occupations; the highest number of patients were made up of 16-years or above long-serving employees, and below 5-years of short-serving employees. There were more patients complaining of chronic lumbago than acute lumbago, and patients recognized poor posture as the primary cause of lumbago. Furthermore, 99.5% of spinal disorder patients complain back pain, 23.2% use only alternative therapy, and 15.2% visit clinic and hospital with alternative therapy. Patients showed pain reduction and high satisfaction after using alternative therapy. The study targeted Japanese employees where complement therapy is more generalized than that of Korea, and thus there should be multilateral management programs provided in Korea as well.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.39-52
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of lumbar stabilization exercise therapy on low back pain patients' lumbar spinal function. Identify the effect of stabilization exercise therapy, this study attempted to determine lumbar spinal functions, using spinoscopy, for 20 patients with low back pain This study applied lumbar stabilization exercise to 20 low back pain patients without a control group for 8 weeks and 4 times a week, and examined their spinal functions before and after the application. Data collected from the test were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed ranked test, a nonparametric test. Absolute index, functionality and performance increased significantly compared to them before treatment. FE loads and velocity control while conducting exercise tasks increased significantly compared to them before treatment. Test item ROL and ROM, which indicate the change of angle, both showed significant differences. Of stiff spine, stiff pelvic score and sprain score, which indicate the effects of the conduct of exercise tasks on the movement of the spine, stiff spine score and sprain score showed significant differences. According to the results as presented above, lumbar stabilization exercise may be greatly helpful in improving low back pain patients' lumbar spinal functions.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.189-197
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify levels of hope, self-esteem, and quality of life, and to find correlations among these variables in people with spinal cord injury. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey. The data were collected by survey interview in 2010 from 120 people with spinal cord injury living in the community. To measure hope, self-esteem and quality of life, the Dispositional Hope Scale, Self-Esteem Scale, and World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument were utilized respectively. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis using SPSS version 12.0. Results: Mean score of hope was 2.56 and that of self-esteem was 3.23. Mean score of quality of life was 3.01. Statistically significant relationships were found between quality of life and hope (r=.73, p<.001), and between quality of life and self-esteem (r=.67, p<.001). Multiple regression analyses showed that hope and self-esteem were statistically significant in predicting quality of life with the explanatory power of 59.1%. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that nursing interventions fostering hope and self-esteem should be integrated in developing rehabilitation programs to improve quality of life for people with spinal cord injury.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.384-397
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Treadmill Training on WISCI level, walking velocity, walking endurance, motor score and gait cycle of spinal cord injury patient with incomplete. Four subjects with spinal cord injury participated in this study. They took walking excercise 5 times per week for 8 weeks. One time excercise spent 30minutes. The theraputic effect was evaluated by WISCI level, walk 10 meters test, walk for 12 minutes test, motor score and gait cycle. Four subjects were examined before, after 8 week, walking training. Collected data were statistically analyzed by SPSS PC for Wilcoxon signed rank test. The results of this study are as follows; 1) In WISCI level, walking velocity, walking endurance and motor score, post - treatment score were higher compared to pre-treatment score with statistical significance(p<0.05). 2) In Rt SLS, DLSII and Lt SLS, post-treatment percentage were higher compared to pre-treatment percentage with statistical significance(p<0.05). but DLSI were not statistical significance(p>0.05). The findings suggest that spinal cord injury patients with incomplete can improve their WISCI level, walking velocity, walking endurance, motor score and gait cycle through Treadmill gait training.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.190-198
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• 2003

Expression of c-fos, an immediate early gene, has accepted to be a marker of functional activity in neurons. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of cold therapy on the expression of spinal cord c-fos in rats of carrageenan-induced muscle pain. Muscle pain was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by intra-muscular injection of gastrocnemius with $2\%$ carrageenan. The paw withdrawal latency (PWL) and tail flick test (TFT) responses to heat stimuli were used to detect secondary hyperalgesia produced by the muscle pain and measured to assess the effects of cold. The expression of c-fos was determined in the lumbar regions of the spinal cord by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry assays. The secondary hyperalgesia to heat simuli (PWL and TFT) were significantly reduced in cold therapy compared with that in the controls. In RT-PCR assays the expression of c-fos mRNA was down-regulated in the lumbar spinal cord in cold group. In addition, Fos immunoreactivity in the dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord was decreased in cold group. These results suggested that application of cold attributed to increase PWL and TFT responses and to decrease expression of the c-fos produced by muscle pain.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.31-39
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• 2009

This study is performed to investigate the difference of the spinal stability system with and without low back pain. There were 9 participants with low back pain and 9 asymptomatic subjects to be recruited, they were measured thoracic and lumbar curvature, trunk muscle activation in upright sitting postures and slump sitting, back muscle endurance, and lumbar proprioception. Spinal curvature and surface electromyography of 4 trunk muscles were measured in an upright sitting postures and slump sitting in 18 subjects. The result of the study was that there were significant differences between the groups in spinal curvature (p<.05), significantly higher external oblique activity and less internal oblique in the low back pain group than the healthy subjects (p<.05), and significantly less proprioception in the low back pain group (p<.05). But there was not a significant difference between the trunk muscle endurance groups. According to the result, the low back pain group had greater thoracic extension and higher global muscle activity in the upright sitting posture and less proprioception. This study was useful to suggest postural training for normal muscle activation, selective muscle strengthening to prevent chronic deterioration, and helpful in making a treatment plan to indicate a synthetic care method that includes increasing proprioception.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between osteoporotic postmenopausal women and its bone mineral density value by using the single energy quantitative CT. 1. Decreasing BMD with age is evident. There is a significant low BMD value in the osteoporotic women compared with the healthy subgroup. 2. BMD decrease from T12 to L4, except in healthy premenopausal women. 3. Relationship of spinal BMD expressed as average BMD of T12 through L4 Show strong correlation with mean BMD in all vertebral levels. 4. There are significantly different BMD value from T12 through L4 in subgroup 1, 2, 3 but there is no statistically significant difference between subgroup 2 and 3. Conclusion, There is a significant decreasing BMD with age but it is difficult to differentiate postmenopausal relatively healthy women from osteoporotic women by BMD.

• Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.448-454
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• 2018

Background: Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a tragic event that has a major impact on individuals and society as well as the healthcare system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the strength of association between surgical treatment timing and neurological improvement. Methods: Fifty-six patients with neurological impairment due to traumatic SCI were included in this study. From January 2013 to June 2017, all their medical records were reviewed. Initially, to identify the factors affecting the recovery of neurological deficit after an acute SCI, we performed univariate logistic regression analyses for various variables. Then, we performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis for variables that showed a p-value of < 0.2 in the univariate analyses. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to determine the goodness of fit for the multivariate logistic regression model. Results: In the univariate analysis on the strength of associations between various factors and neurological improvement, the following factors had a p-value of < 0.2: surgical timing (early, < 8 hours; late, 8-24 hours; p = 0.033), completeness of SCI (complete/incomplete; p = 0.033), and smoking (p = 0.095). In the multivariate analysis, only two variables were significant: surgical timing (odds ratio [OR], 0.128; p = 0.004) and completeness of SCI (OR, 9.611; p = 0.009). Conclusions: Early surgical decompression within 8 hours after traumatic SCI appeared to improve neurological recovery. Furthermore, incomplete SCI was more closely related to favorable neurological improvement than complete SCI. Therefore, we recommend early decompression as an effective treatment for traumatic SCI.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.291-302
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• 2022

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most debilitating disorders throughout the world, causing persistent sensory-motor dysfunction, with no effective treatment. Oxidative stress and inflammatory responses play key roles in the secondary phase of SCI. Naringenin (NAR) is a natural flavonoid with known anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. This study aims at evaluating the effects of intrathecal NAR administration on sensory-motor disability after SCI. Methods: Animals underwent a severe compression injury using an aneurysm clip. About 30 minutes after surgery, NAR was injected intrathecally at the doses of 5, 10, and 15 mM in 20 µL volumes. For the assessment of neuropathic pain and locomotor function, acetone drop, hot plate, inclined plane, and Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan tests were carried out weekly till day 28 post-SCI. Effects of NAR on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 activity was appraised by gelatin zymography. Also, histopathological analyses and serum levels of glutathione (GSH), catalase and nitrite were measured in different groups. Results: NAR reduced neuropathic pain, improved locomotor function, and also attenuated SCI-induced weight loss weekly till day 28 post-SCI. Zymography analysis showed that NAR suppressed MMP-9 activity, whereas it increased that of MMP-2, indicating its anti-neuroinflammatory effects. Also, intrathecal NAR modified oxidative stress related markers GSH, catalase, and nitrite levels. Besides, the neuroprotective effect of NAR was corroborated through increased survival of sensory and motor neurons after SCI. Conclusions: These results suggest intrathecal NAR as a promising candidate for medical therapeutics for SCI-induced sensory and motor dysfunction.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.15-24
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• 2007

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate the effects of treadmill exercise on functional recovery after rat with experimental SCI. Methods: SCI was induced by the NYU-spinal cord impactor(NYU, USA) dropped a weight of 10 gm after laminectomy. Experimental groups were divided into the Group I (normal), Group II (control) and Group III(treadmill exercise). After 2 days of the operation, 24 rats(group II, III) were trained to walk on treadmill for 21 days twice/day, 15 min/session. After operation, rats were tested at modified Tarlov scale at 1, 2, 3, 4 days with divided into 2 groups, and Motor behavior test(BBB locomotor rating scale, Grid walking test, Narrow beam crossing test, Modified inclined plane test) was examined at 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days. Histopathological study were performed at 1. 3, 7, 14 and 21 days by H&E, Luxol Fast Blue staining were same times. Results: After SCI an improvement of motor behavior was shown group II, III. The motor behavior test of group Ill showed considerable improvement until 14 days. Conclusion: These results suggest that treadmill exercise treatment can playa role in facilitating recovery of locomotion following spinal cord injury.