• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.142-151
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and the reliability of the WISCI II to ascertain its value in the walking function evaluation of spinal cord injury patient. The WISCI II consists of 20 variables with a total valus ranging from 6 to 20 score. A group of 23 spinal cord injury patient were included in this study. To determine the validity, kappa statistics between the WISCI II and SCIM II were measured. The result of this study are as follows: 1) In the validity study, the kappa statistics between the WISCI II and SCIM II were 0.79 and 0.84 for an initial total score and a discharge total score respectively, indicating a reasonable agreement between the two test. 2) In the reliability study, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.83 and 0.95 for total score indicating a good internal consistency. The finding suggest that the WISCI II demonstrated an acceptable validity and reliabilit for the evaluation of walking function capacity of spinal cord injury patient in clinical practice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.51-58
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• 2022

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between executive function and gait evaluations for the elderly, and validate the obstacle gait evaluation as a cognitive impairment test tool. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional design. 79 people aged 65 years or older were selected as subjects. The Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC) to evaluate overall cognitive function and the Trail Making Test (TMT) A, B to measure executive function were performed. The 4-meter walking speed test and the walking speed test while crossing over an obstacle were carried out to evaluate gait. The Spearman's correlation was used to measure the correlation between cognition and gait speed. RESULTS: There was no significant correlation between the 4 m gait speed and executive function( TMT-A (p = .056), TMT-B (p = .115)). However, there was a significant correlation between the 4 m gait speed and MMSE-KC (r = .277, p < .05). There was also a significant correlation between walking speed while crossing over an obstacle and all tests (MMSE-KC (r = .382, p < .01). TMT-A (r = -.327, p < .01), TMT-B (r = -.283, p < .05)). CONCLUSION: It was found that the gait speed while crossing over an obstacle was correlated with all cognitive function tests. Therefore, we suggest the use of the gait speed test while crossing over an obstacle rather than the simple gait test to diagnose cognitive decline.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2012

Purpose : We investigated the effects of the combined use of FES and over ground walking with partial body-weight support (PBWS) on walking function and balance control in people with chronic strokes. Methods : Twenty-seven people who were ambulatory after chronic strokes were evaluated. The exercise's intervention consisted of the combined use of FES and over ground walking with PBWS and general exercise groups. The FES + PBWS group and general exercise group consisted on a-20-minute session per day, 3 times a week during a 4 week period. The evaluation was carried out before, after, and two weeks after the exercise intervention. Outcome measures were a 6 Minute Walk Test, 6-Meter walk Test, Timed Up and Go Test, and a Balance Test, measured before and after the exercise interventions at a-2 week follow up. Results : The endurance was significantly increased in both the FES+PBWS group and general exercise group (p<0.05). Significant increase on the gait velocity was observed in both the FES+PBWS group and general exercise group (p<0.05). The TUG was significantly different in both the FES + PBWS group and general exercise group (p<0.05). However there were no differences in both the between-group & interaction. The stability index was significantly different in both the FES + PBWS group and general exercise group (p<0.05). Conclusion : In conclusion, the combined use of FES and over ground walking with PBWS led to an improvement in walking function and balance control. Thus, it is possible to combine the use of FES and over ground walking with PBWS for physical therapy intervention to improve walking function and balance control. It is suggested to apply this intervention in the clinical field.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.95-105
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• 2024

PURPOSE: This study aimed to utilize the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) tool to identify a problem list and explore intervention effects using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) for improving the crosswalk performance of patients who have undergone a bilateral hip arthroplasty. METHODS: The subject of this study was a 43-year-old male who had undergone a bilateral hip arthroplasty. To address the subject's functional status, a clinical decision-making process was carried out in the order of examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention, and outcome. Patient information during the examination was collected using the ICF core set. The evaluation involved listing the items of each problem using the ICF assessment sheet and identifying the interaction between activity limitations and the impairment level. The diagnosis explicitly described the causal relationships derived from the evaluation using ICF terminology. The prognosis presented activity goals, body function, and structured goals in terms of the activity and participation levels that needed to be achieved for an individual's functional status. The intervention approached problems through the four components of the PNF philosophy, namely basic principles and procedures, techniques, and patterns, in an indirect-direct-task sequence. Results were compared before and after the intervention using the ICF evaluation display. RESULTS: The results of the study showed that the primary activity limitation, which was the walking time across the crosswalk, showed improvement, and the trunk's counter rotation and the weight-bearing capacity of both the lower limbs, which were impairment level indicators, were enhanced. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that PNF intervention strategies will serve as a positive approach for improving crosswalk walking in patients with bilateral hip arthroplasty.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.300-307
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• 2019

This study develops a user centered outdoor jacket capable of energy harvesting based on consumer needs. Jackets are designed for typical outdoor activities such as hiking, trekking, and climbing, integrated with an energy harvesting module that can generate electric power from arm swing in outdoor and daily life walking. Textile based energy generators developed by the previous research of Lee & Roh (2018) were used. A prototype was created based on the arm swing motion experiment for location options and energy harvesting system functions, the simulation by the design sketch, and evaluation of the wearing test by experts. In-depth interviews were later conducted for the prototype with 10 outdoor experts to derive the optimal location of an energy harvesting system in three ways, and the prototype was revised to 5 styles that reflected reviews by experts on function and appearance. Research indicated that the energy harvesting jacket design signifies a user-centered design based on expert interviews and usability evaluation as well as previous research on energy generation and storage device. The jacket is convenient because it combines an energy generator in an optimal position to maximize energy generation with a storage and charging device that can be inserted into various position options for accessibility.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.241-248
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• 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in muscle strength, kinematics, and kinetics between injured and non-injured sides of the leg after Achilles Tendon Rupture surgery during walking and running. Method: The subjects (n=11; age = 30.63 ± 5.69 yrs; height = 172.00 ± 4.47 cm; mass = 77.00 ± 11.34 kg; time lapse from surgery = 29.81 ± 10.27 months) who experienced Achilles Tendon Rupture (ATR) surgery participated in this study. The walking and running trials were collected using infrared cameras (Oqus 300, Qualisys, Sweden, 100 Hz) on instrumented treadmill (Bertec, U.S.A., 1,000 Hz) and analyzed by using QTM (Qualisys Track Manager Ver. 2.15; Qualisys, U.S.A). The measured data were processed using Visual 3D (C-motion Inc., U.S.A.). The cutoff frequencies were set as 6 Hz and 12 Hz for walking and running kinematics respectively, while 100 Hz was used for force plate data. Results: In ATR group, muscle strength there were no difference between affected and unaffected sides (p> .05). In kinematic analysis, subjects showed greater ROM of knee joint flexion-extension in affected side compared to that of unaffected side during walking while smaller ROM of ankle dorsi-plantar and peak knee flexion were observed during running (p< .05). In kinetic analysis, subjects showed lower knee extension moment (running at 2.2 m/s) and positive ankle plantar-flexion power (running at 2.2 m/s, 3.3 m/s) in affected side compared to that of unaffected side (p< .05). This lower positive ankle joint power during a propulsive phase of running is related to slower ankle joint velocity in affected side of the subjects (p< .05). Conclusion: This study aimed to investigate the functional evaluation of the individuals after Achilles tendon rupture surgery through biomechanical analysis during walking and running trials. Based on the findings, greater reduction in dynamic joint function (i.e. lower positive ankle joint power) was found in the affected side of the leg compared to the unaffected side during running while there were no meaningful differences in ankle muscle strength and walking biomechanics. Therefore, before returning to daily life and sports activities, biomechanical analysis using more dynamic movements such as running and jumping trials followed by current clinical evaluations would be helpful in preventing Achilles tendon re-rupture or secondary injury.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.565-568
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• 1998

In this paper, we implemented the electornic moving aid system for safe walking of the blind. An obstacle detecting of each sector used ultrasound and a distance measurement used time of flight. The alarm is designed to have a sound and a tactile function that can be selected on an user's convenience. This system can detect and obstacle of upward, forward, downward and optimally warn to the blind with vibration, beep sound by appling warning algorithm on object detection. Experimental testing and performance evaluation have been successfully carried out with a prototype cane, and the experiment shows the capability of the function to detect unknown objects within an assigned distance, under knees, over head height, and crushed puddles.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.41-48
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• 2023

PURPOSE: Falls are caused by a decline in physical and cognitive function. A quantitative evaluation tool that can comprehensively evaluate motor and cognitive functions for elderly people with an impaired physical function. This study assessed the clinical application potential by confirming the correlation between the physical function tests, cognitive and the stepping trail-making test (S-TMT). METHODS: Fourteen community-dwelling older patients (65-75 years) were recruited. The study conducted cognitive function tests with the trail-making test (TMT-A, B), and physical function tests (6-minute walking test (6MWT), short physical performance battery (SPPB), and timed up and go (TUG)). The results of were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Descriptive statistics were used for the general characteristics of the study subjects, and the correlations between S-TMT, other functional tests were examined through Pearson's correlation analysis. The statistical significance was set to .05. RESULTS: S-TMT had a significant positive correlation with the TUG (r = .588^*) and trail-making test-B (TMT-B) (r = .689^*, p < .05). Furthermore, S-TMT showed a negative correlation between SPPB (r = -.397) and 6MWT (r = -.422), but it was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: S-TMT is a cognitive-gait dual-task performance evaluation tool that can be performed safely. A significant correlation was confirmed between the TUG test and the TMT-B. S-TMT is a dual-task screening tool that can evaluate both physical and cognitive functions simultaneously.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.99-109
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• 2007

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of the spring shoe through the comparison of spring shoe to general shoe. For this, 12 healthy females in the age from 20 to 30 years participated in the E.M.G. experiment with testing kinematic variables. Results indicated that there was significant differences in angle of ankel between the general and spring shoe. Specifically, the spring shoe showed a bigger angle of take on and a smaller angle of take off in walking than the general shoe. This mesns that the spring shoe does not have a significant effect to produce efficient and smooth walking. In addition, the spring shoes revealed a bigger rear-foot angle than the general shoe in the evaluation of rear-foot control function. This means that the rear-foot control function of the spring shoe is low compared to trhe general shoe. Meanwhile, there is no significant differences in angle of knee and angle of Achilles tendon between both shoes. In an analysis of E.M.G., the significant differences were found in gastrocnemius muscle, anterior tibial musculi, musculi rectus femoris, biceps muscle of thigh between both the general and spring shoe groups by the section. In the case of gastrocnemius muscle, the spring shoe showed a low muscle production of anterior tibial musculi than the general shoe. This is a result from structural nature of the sole of a foot of the spring shoe. The spring shoe performs a rolling movement through slightly large pronation toward front-foot from rear-foot in supprt time before taking-off of toe and the power for this movement is mainly produced from musculi rectus femoris.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.305-312
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• 2014

In this study, in order to quantitatively confirm walking rehabilitation degree, we analyzed EMG pattern simulated abnormal gait and normal gait by applying a curve fitting. We calculated the suitable high-order function for EMG signal, and classified them into 5 groups by using cluster analysis. Depending on the distance from normal pattern group, we listed the pattern group and then the distribution of each variables were confirmed. The amplitude-decreased pattern was the most similar to the normal pattern, but the reversed pattern showed the lowest similarity. Due to the smaller overlapping range, the distribution of the groups were possible to classify using the value of variable. The standard deviation of each term coefficient was compared to indicate the quantitative rehabilitation extent, and the higher value was confirmed as the pattern is close to the normal pattern. Consequently, the representation of quantitative rehabilitation extent is expected to contribute to the more effective rehabilitation method study.