• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Purpose: The main causes of chronic neck pain (CNP) are wrong postures and degenerative changes. This study investigated the effects of specific exercise on elderly women with CNP. Methods: 29 elderly women who complain of CNP were classified into experimental group (14) and control group (15). The experimental group was treated with specific exercise and minimal conventional therapy, whereas the control group was treated only with conventional therapy. Then the effects on the visual analogue scale (VAS), neck disability index (NDI), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), Korean form of geriatric depression scale (KGDS), and range of motion (ROM) were compared between the two groups. Results: The experimental group showed significantly improved results in VAS, NDI, SAS, KGDS, and ROM after intervention (p<0.05), as did the control group (p<0.05). The comparison of changes in the experimental group before and after intervention showed superior results in the SAS, NDI, and ROM (flexion, rotation, lat. flexion) results when compared with the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Specific exercise is effective in the improvement of SAS, NDI, and ROM for elderly women with CNP.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.149-154
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• 2020

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the Kaltenborn-Evjenth concept of nerve mobilization combined with intermittent cervical segment traction (ICST) on pain, Neck Disability Index (NDI) scores, range of motion (ROM) and endurance in persons with cervical radiculopathy (CR). Design: Two-group pretest-posttest design. Methods: Thirty subjects participated in this study and were randomly assigned to two groups. The ICST group (n=15) was performed simultaneously with nerve mobilization and cervical traction for the segment with cervical pain at the same time. The intermittent cervical total traction (ICTT) group (n=15) performed nerve mobilization and cervical traction for the whole cervical area at the same time. In this study, outcome measures such as the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), NDI, ROM, endurance (cranio-cervical flexion test), and passive intervertebral motion performed before and 4 weeks after the experiment were compared to investigate the effects of each intervention. Results: In both groups, there were significant differences in the VAS, NDI scores, and endurance, and there were significant differences between the two groups except for endurance (p<0.05). In the ICST group, significant differences were found in all ROM, and in the ICTT group, significant differences were found in only extension, and there were significant differences between the two groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: The ICST group showed more improvement than the ICTT group in pain, NDI scores and ROM. Moreover, our findings show that the ICST could be used as a new strategy for manual therapy in persons with CR.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.302-308
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• 2020

Objective: The endurance and strength of deep neck flexor (DNF) muscles have a major role on the function and stability of the cervical spine. In recent years, there has been a lack of research that have investigated the muscle tone of the superficial neck muscles. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of between contraction ratio of the DNF and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles, DNF endurance, and muscle tension of the neck muscles. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Forty-seven subjects (male=20, female=27) participated in this study. The muscle tone of the upper trapezius (UT), SCM, and suboccipital (SO) muscle was measured using a contact soft tissue tone-measuring instrument. For the contraction ratio of the SCM and longus colli muscle, the thickness of the relaxation and maximum contraction state of the SCM and longus colli muscles were assessed using a diagnostic ultrasound measuring instrument and a pressure biofeedback unit. The deep neck flexor endurance test (DNFET) was performed in a cranio-cervical flexion posture. The correlations between the measured variables were investigated. Results: The relationship between the DNFET and SO tone showed a significant negative correlation (p<0.05). The relationship between the DNFET and contraction ratio showed a significant positive correlation (p<0.01). There was no significant correlation between the DNFET and SCM and UT tone. Conclusions: This study confirmed that there is a relationship between DNF endurance, DNF activation, and SO tone. The information on the results of this study may be used as a reference that can be actively applied in the clinical environment.

• 대한정형도수물리치료학회지
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.51-59
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• 2022

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of mobilization with movement (MWM) applied to the ankle joint, on the craniovertebral angle (CVA), pressure pain threshold, and neck disability index (NDI) in asymptomatic adults with a forward head posture (FHP). Methods: A total of 32 subjects with FHP were assigned to either the MWM group (N=16) or the cranio-cervical flexion exercise (CCFE) group (n=16). The CVA, pressure pain threshold and NDI were measured before and 4 weeks after the intervention. Results: A significant improvement in the CVA was observed in the MWM group (p<.05), whereas no significant changes (p>.05) were observed in the CCFE group. Both groups showed significant differences in the pressure pain threshold and NDI before and after the intervention (p<.05). Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that MWM applied to the ankle joint can effectively improve the CVA, pressure pain threshold, and NDI of adults with a forward head posture. Based on this study, the ankle MWM technique for dorsiflexion can be used as an objective research method for additional studies targeting FHP patients in the future.