• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.9-20
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• 2013

Background: This study was conducted to provide preventive measure for the musculoskeletal disorders in automobile parts manufacturing workers. Method: The author surveyed to the musculoskeletal symptoms prevalence and its related factors from 10th to 17th April 2011 with structured self administered questionnaires. 223 out of 225 collected questionnaires were used for final analysis, excluding 2 questionnaires with no valid response. Based on the diagnostic criteria of NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational and Health), an investigation was made into the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms as well as into the factors related to individual items. Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms according to the criteria of NIOSH was the highest in the shoulder (52.9%), followed by the neck (39.%), the hand/wrist (35%), the waist (29.6%), the arm/elbow (24.7%), and the leg/food (23.8%). One-way analysis showed that among general characteristics, age was the musculoskeletal risk factor with the greatest effect. Whereas among work-related characteristics, significant risk factor didn't find. Yet it was shown that among ergonomic work postures, high degree of musculoskeletal risk was shown by the posture involving frequent and repetitive movement of the arm and the hand/wrist and also by the posture involving standing for a long time. Multiple regression analysis showed that musculoskeletal risk was 1.795 times higher in those age 50 and over than in those under age 50; 1.67 times higher in the high risk stress group than in the low risk stress group; and 1.131 higher in the group involving the repetitive use of the hand/arm than in the other groups (p<.05). Conclusion: The prevalence and stress score of automobile parts manufacturing workers were higher than other occupation workers. Among general characteristics, drinking and smoking were shown to be related to stress score; while age was shown to have significant effect on musculoskeletal risk.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.361-368
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to develop a hand rehabilitation training system for hemiplegic patients. We also tried to find out five hand postures (WF: Wrist Flexion, WE: Wrist Extension, BG: Ball Grip, HG: Hook Grip, RE: Rest) in real-time using multi-channel EMG-based deep learning. We performed a pre-processing method that converts to Spider Chart image data for the classification of hand movement from five test subjects (total 1,500 data sets) using Convolution Neural Networks (CNN) deep learning with an 8-channel armband. As a result of this study, the recognition accuracy was 92% for WF, 94% for WE, 76% for BG, 82% for HG, and 88% for RE. Also, ten physical therapists participated for the usability evaluation. The questionnaire consisted of 7 items of acceptance, interest, and satisfaction, and the mean and standard deviation were calculated by dividing each into a 5-point scale. As a result, high scores were obtained in immersion and interest in game (4.6±0.43), convenience of the device (4.9±0.30), and satisfaction after treatment (4.1±0.48). On the other hand, Conformity of intention for treatment (3.90±0.49) was relatively low. This is thought to be because the game play may be difficult depending on the degree of spasticity of the hemiplegic patient, and compensation may occur in patient with weakened target muscles. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a rehabilitation program suitable for the degree of disability of the patient.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Dental Administration
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between wrong postures and pain during scaling and encourage dental hygienists and students to exercise scaling in a good position. After obtaining informed consent, 107 students (3rd and 4th grade students) who had an experience with scaling practice were enrolled. The questionnaire included three general items, four items related to the posture during scaling, and nine items related to pain management (total 16 items), for which the five-point Likert scale was used. Through the questionnaire, we examined the preference of posture during scaling, posture education during scaling, pain in each part during scaling, pain management, and pain management method. In the scaling exercise, 86.3% of the subjects were instructed on the correct posture, and 87.9% of the subjects perceived the possibility of inducing musculoskeletal disorders based on the scaling posture. The percentage of subjects who responded that they performed scaling in the correct posture was 33.6% and that of subjects who answered that they bowed or turned their head by more than 15° was 64.4%. Further, 45.7% of the subjects answered that they bent their shoulders, and 29.9% of the subjects answered that their postures were not parallel to the floor. Pain during scaling was still higher when they bent their head, they bent their waist, and they bent their wrist (p<0.05). During scaling, pain was most frequent in the fingers and hands (15%), followed by the neck (14%), shoulders (11.2%), waist (9.3%), and feet and legs (2.8%). The percentage of subjects who performed regular exercise (or stretching) to prevent pain was 29.9% and that of subjects who managed pain after scaling was 12.1%. Further, exercise (24.6%) and self-massage (20.3%) were highly used as the pain management methods, and the school practice was preferred to education media for pain management (79.4%). In the scaling practice, there was a training on pain management, but the frequency of practicing in the wrong posture was high. Moreover, pain increased upon practicing in an incorrect posture. Therefore, more in-depth and systematic education on the necessity and method of musculoskeletal disease management during scaling is required.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 1998

In order to investigate and compare the health risk factors of nurses in the operating room(OR nurse) and ward (WARD nurse), the questionnaire survey for subjective symptoms was carried out on 553 nurses(132 OR nurses and 421 WARD nurses) who were employed at seven hospital. The self-administered questionnaries were composed of low back pain, subjective fatigue symptoms, musculo-skeletal symptoms, psychological stress and reproductive function. The results were as follows : 1. In the type of working posture and working environment, there were significant difference between two groups for working posture, waist form, height of working table, satisfaction of chair, lifting & carring. 2. Job satisfaction, duration of work, height of working table, satisfaction of chair, lifting & carring were significantly associated the low back pain. 3. In the complaints of subjective fatigue symptoms, the total mean score was higher in OR nurse than WARD nurse, but there was not significant. The items that the mean score of OR nurse was significantly higher than WARD nurse were 'head feels muddled', 'apt to forget', 'feel choky'. 4. In the complaints of musculo-skeletal syrrptoms, the total mean score was higher in OR nurse than WARD nurse, but there was not significant. The item that the mean score of OR nurse was significantly higher WARD nurse was 'wrist discomfort or pain'. 5. The comparison of spontatenous abortion in married nurses who had the experience of pregnancy were significantly associated the stress risk group. 6. In all of OR and Ward nurses, the job satisfaction is associated with subjective fatigue symptoms, musculo-skeletal symptoms, and stress. In conclusion, it suggested that working posture, working environment, stress, and job satisfaction were health risk factors of nurses working in the operating room. Further prospective intervention studies should be conducted to educate right working posture, improve of working environment, decrease of stress, and increase of job satisfaction.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.83-93
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to improve pain and injury through bicycle fitting and to propose rehabilitation methods. Pain and injuries caused by bicycles can be largely divided into knee and ankle pain, wrist, shoulder, neck, and back pain, and hip pain. The cause of these pains and injuries stems from incorrect bicycle fitting and posture. In order to improve these pain and injuries and prevent recurrence, appropriate bicycle fitting and rehabilitation exercise are needed. Pain and injury are divided into kinetic pain and pain by a fixed posture. In the case of kinetic pain, rehabilitation exercise is required along with inflammatory treatment, and pain by a fixed posture should understand the exact characteristics of the body and learn and practice bicycle posture according to the body's characteristics. Through this method, it can contribute to preventing the recurrence of bicycle pain and injuries and further creating an environment where a safe bicycle culture can be established.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.437-442
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• 2012

The current research examines the aching part and the muscle activity that happens during scaling practice subject to 20 dental hygienic students and therefore propose a basic data according to the working attitude of the Dental Hygienist. During the scaling we used the free EMG (BTS Inc., Milan, Italy) to measure the muscle activity, and in order to check the musculoskeletal pain area we used the Nordic-style questionnaire, and the measured research results are as following: At the moment of scaling according to posture the occurrence of the pain showed no difference among the groups elbow, back, leg, knee, ankle/foot but in the neck, shoulder, wrist/hand, waist showed a high difference in the degree of pain according to posture. Results from measuring the muscular activity according to posture, in the group that had a good posture, the trapezius and brachial muscles showed a change according to time, and in the group that had a bad posture a high muscle activity was shown in larynx, trapezius and brachial muscles. In the muscle activity, the changing aspect between the two parts, the group that fulfilled a scaling in a good posture showed a low muscle activity, but in the group that fulfilled the scaling in a bad posture the muscle activity increased excessively. Therefore we examined that when fulfilling a scaling maintaining a bad posture can help in using more effectively the activity of the muscle, in the future I think there is a need to raise the office efficiency by subjecting to dental hyginiest that are in the clinics and performing experiments.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.265-271
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• 2018

The recent prosthetic technologies pursue to control multi-DOFs (degrees-of-freedom) hand and wrist. However, challenges such as high cost, wear-ability, and motion intent recognition for feedback control still remain for the use in daily living activities. The paper proposes a multi-channel knit band sensor to worn easily for surface EMG-based prosthetic control. The knitted electrodes were fabricated with conductive yarn, and the band except the electrodes are knitted using non-conductive yarn which has moisture wicking property. Two types of the knit bands are fabricated such as sixteen-electrodes for eight-channels and thirty-two electrodes for sixteen-channels. In order to substantiate the performance of the biopotential signal acquisition, several experiments are conducted. Signal to noise ratio (SNR) value of the knit band sensor was 18.48 dB. According to various forearm motions including hand and wrist, sixteen-channels EMG signals could be clearly distinguishable. In addition, the pattern recognition performance to control myoelectric prosthesis was verified in that overall classification accuracy of the RMS (root mean squares) filtered EMG signals (97.84%) was higher than that of the raw EMG signals (87.06%).

• Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.140-150
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• 2004

Repetitive stress injury at the wrist has been reported as a common injury among visual display terminal (VDT) users (i.e., computer users). Adjusting a VDT workstation (computer table and chair) to maintain a correct seated posture while operating a keyboard is perhaps the most frequently recommended preventive solution. This paper proposes an analytical design methodology based on ergonomic design principles for recommending appropriate VDT workstation settings and layout of individual computer accessories on the computer table. The proposed design methodology consists of two interrelated phases: (1) determination of VDT workstation settings, and (2) design of computer accessories layout. Based on the information about the VDT user, dominant task to be performed, typing skill, and degrees of physical and visual interactions between the user and computer accessories, adjustment and layout solutions are recommended to allow having a correct seated posture while minimizing both physical and visual movements. The results from an experiment show that when adjusting the workstation and locating the computer accessories according to the recommendations given by the proposed design methodology, the user's hand movements can be significantly reduced.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.76-83
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• 2004

This study aimed to empirically investigate perceived discomfort depending upon external load, upper limb postures and their holding time. Discomfort was obtained through an experiment, in which external load, wrist flexion/extension, elbow flexion, shoulder flexion and adduction/abduction were used as experimental variables. The subjects were instructed to hold given postures for 60s and to rate their subjective discomfort scores at 5s, 20s, 40s and 60s by using the free modulus method of magnitude estimation. The results showed that while only external load and elbow flexion were statistically significant at the holding time of 5s at ${\alpha}=0.05$ or 0.10, external load and upper limb postures excluding shoulder adduction/abduction significantly affected discomfort ratings at 20s, 40s and 60s at ${\alpha}=0.01$ or 0.05. Discomfort scores were also significantly different between four posture holding times at ${\alpha}=0.01$. The effects of external load and holding time were much larger than those of upper limb postures. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that external load and holding time as well as working postures betaken into consideration to precisely quantify postural load in industry.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.87-92
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• 2024

This study aims to compare six observational methods for assessing arm- and hand-intensive tasks, based on literature review. The comparison was conducted in viewpoints of body regions, force/external load, motion repetition, other factors including static posture, coupling, duration/break, pace, temperature, precision task, and final risk or exposure level. The number of risk factors assessed was more, and assessment procedure was more complex than the observational methods for assessing whole-body postural loads such as Ovako Working Posture Analysis System(OWAS), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment(RULA), and Rapid Entire Body Assessment(REBA). Due to these, the intra- and inter-reliabilities were not high. A past study showed that while Hand Arm Risk Assessment Method(HARM) identified the smallest proportion of the work tasks as high risk, Strain Index(SI) and Quick Exposure Check(QEC) hand/wrist were the most rigorous with classifying most work tasks as high risk. This study showed that depending on the observational technique compared, the evaluation factors, risk or exposure level, and evaluation results were different, making it necessary to select a technique appropriate for the characteristics of the work being assessed.