• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.69-79
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• 2012

Importance of the work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) has been increasing in the hospital industry such as health care industry and financial industry. This study investigated in order to identify the factors like general, occupational and ergonomically characteristics of the subjects related to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of physical therapists (PTs). Ergonomic tools of rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) were used for evaluation workload of the tasks. Prevalence of MSDs were 13 PTs (26.0%) for neck, 31 PTs (62.0%) for shoulder, 9 PTs (18.0%) for arm/elbow, 27 PTs (54.0%) for hand/wrist, 28 PTs (56.0%) for back, 14 PTs (28.0%) for leg/foot. The analysis of the rate of the pain intensity showed that 53.5% subjects experience moderate pain and 14.0% subjects experience severe pain. Factors which were general characteristics, for example, height, ergonomically characteristics such as 'Posture Score A' were related musculoskeletal subjective symptoms in logistic analysis (p<.05). Among physical therapists, action level of RULA were action level 2 (6.0%), action level 3 (52.0%), action level 4 (42.0%). Physical therapists were estimated one of the highest risk factor in this study. This study suggested that the need of preventive education and program for PTs (physical therapists). Comprehensive and systematic management plans should be established to include both ergonomic and sociopsychological aspects.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.47-54
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was to investigate the effects of lumbar stabilization exercise and lower extremity strengthening program on pain, lower extremity muscle in patients with chronic low back pain. Method: The subject were randomly divided two groups. 15 people who were conducted lower extremity exercises and lumbar stabilization exercises called the combined exercise group and other(15 people) who were only conducted lower extremity exercise group. The assessment tools were the pain level and the led muscle power. Exercise was conducted for eight weeks. Result: Pain of the combined exercise group showed significant differences in the change in pain level(p<.05). The leg muscle power showed significant differences within group which hip flexor, extensor muscles and abductor muscles. there were significant differences within combined exercise group (p<.05). But the knee joint in each group showed a significant difference within group (p<.05). Conclusion: This study suggest that the lumbar stabilization exercises and lower extremity exercises showed more efficient results in the pain levels and leg muscles power than only the lower extremity exercise for patients with lumbar instability.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.508-519
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to identify the types of pain identification made by nurses caring for patients with dementia in nursing homes. Method: To collect the Q-population, 12 nurses working in nursing homes were interviewed. From the collected data, 69 statements were derived and eight patterns of pain identification were categorized. Thirty statements were derived as the Q-sample. Thirty nurses were sampled as the P-sample. The 30 Q-cards with Q-statements were Q-sorted by the P-sample. The results of the Q-sorting were coded and analyzed using the PC QUANL program. Results: Five types of pain identification were identified by nurses for patients with dementia living in nursing homes; Type 1 was named "estimating based on verbal expressions". Type 2 was named "reasoning through physical symptoms". Type 3 was named "confirming pain based on nonverbal expressions being consistent with conditions of physical function". Type 4 was named "empathizing with vocal expressions". Type 5 was named "confirming by comparison with objective pain indicators one by one". Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that comprehensive understanding of pain identification by nurses could help improve the assessment of pain in patients with dementia.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.87-94
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• 1997

The purposes of this study were 1) to determine the changes between pre-treatment and post-treatment of four groups of 15 persons each and 2) to compare the effect of conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS) and laser at auricular acupuncture points on experimental pain threshold measured at the wrist. Sixty healthy adult men and women(M:32, F:28), aged 20 to 28 years, were assigned randomly to one of four groups. Group 1 received TENS to the appropriate auricular point for wrist pain, Group 2 received laser to the appropriate auricular point for wrist pain, Group 3 received placebo TENS to the appropriate auricular point for wrist pain, Group 4 received no treatment and served as controls. Experimental pain threshold at the wrist was determined with a painful electrical stimulus before and 20 minutes after ear stimulation. Group 1 was the only group that showed a stastically significant increase (p<0.05) in pain threshold after treatment whereas the Group 2,3 and 4 did not. These results suggest that TENS has the capability to higher pain threshold but laser does not.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.197-202
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• 2015

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of a proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) program on neck pain, cervical range of motion, pressure pain, and the cervical flexion-relaxation ratio in a visual display terminal (VDT) worker. Methods: We recruited a 33-year-old VDT worker diagnosed with chronic VDT syndrome. The subject was treated using a PNF program for 20 minutes a day, three times a week for six weeks. All evaluations were performed every two weeks on the first test day. Results: The PNF program resulted in a significant improvement in the subject's neck pain, cervical range of motion, pressure pain, and the cervical flexion-relaxation ratio after six weeks, in comparison to the subject's condition before treatment. Conclusion: The PNF program can be used effectively to improve neck pain, cervical range of motion, pressure pain, and the cervical flexion-relaxation ratio in visual display terminal (VDT) workers.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1746-1749
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• 2019

Background: Surgery has been known as an inefficient approach to reduce back pain in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis; therefore, non-surgical treatments are necessary. However, there has been little research to analyze the effect of non-surgical treatments on lumbar spinal stenosis pain. Objective: To identify the effectiveness of 2 physiotherapeutic treatment approaches to relieve pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis. Design: Randomized controlled trial Methods: The participants were 36 lumbar spinal stenosis patients who were randomized in the joint mobilization group (JMG) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation group (TENSG). Joint mobilization (JM) was conducted at the posteroanterior joint in the spinous process of the lumbar spine with stenosis. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was applied on the lumbar spine with stenosis at a high frequency and intensity. Results: Visual analog scale (VAS) pain score significantly decreased in both groups, and the VAS value decreased more after JMG than that after TENSG. The pain thresholds of both groups also significantly increased, and that of JMG increased more compared to TENSG. In both the groups, significant improvements in VAS and pain thresholds were found, and JMG showed better results than TENSG. Conclusions: JM and TENS showed significant relief in both pain threshold and painpain, and JM showed more advanced relief compared to TENS.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.61-66
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• 2018

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the effects of taping on a home program of hip abductor exercise on pain and quadriceps muscle strength during knee joint osteoarthritis. METHODS: The subjects were 24 elderly women aged over 65 years with knee joint osteoarthritis. Twenty-four subjects were divided into two groups of 12. The intervention was conducted three times a week for six weeks. The control group underwent a home program of hip abductor exercise, while the experimental group underwent taping applied to a home program of hip abductor exercise. The measurement factors were knee joint pain and quadriceps muscle strength. Knee joint pain was measured using the VAS, while quadriceps muscle strength was measured using the 1RM method. RESULTS: Changes in pain following intervention were significantly reduced from $4.83{\pm}.72$ to $3.92{\pm}.67$ in the control group. In the experimental group, changes in pain following intervention were reduced significantly from $4.67{\pm}.78$ to $3.25{\pm}.45$. In the experimental group, the pain decreased significantly, while muscle strength increased significantly as in the control group. However, there were significant differences in pain and muscle strength between groups post intervention (p<.05). CONCLUSION: In the elderly women with knee osteoarthritis, the home program of hip abductor exercise will be a good intervention, and taping will be applied as an intervention program for better osteoarthritis.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2011

Purpose : The purpose of study was to better understand the effects of Interferential Current (IFC) and Ultrasound on the ROM and pain in patients with chronic back muscle pain. Methods : Twenty patients with chronic back pain were randomly assigned to IFC stimulation groups and Ultrasound stimulation groups. Both groups used the same method for 20 minutes each session, three times a week for 4 weeks at the same time point and with the same amount of treatment. Measurement items are visual analogue scale (VAS) and range of motion (ROM). Results : This study showed that the IFC stimulation group and the ultrasound stimulation group demonstrated significant improvement in ROM increase and pain reduction. Both groups showed a significant reduction in VAS; however, the ultrasound stimulation group decreased more than ultrasound stimulation group. And, both groups showed a significant increase in ROM. The ultrasound stimulation group increased significantly more than the IFC stimulation group in ROM of flexion and extension. The IFC stimulation group increased significantly more than the ultrasound stimulation group in ROM of lateral flexion. Conclusion : Pain relief was more effective in the ultrasound group. The ultrasound showed a more significant effect than IFC in ROM of flexion and extension. The IFC showed a more significant effect than ultrasound in ROM lateral flexion. The results of this study suggest that the treatment effects are different on patients with chronic back pain, according to treatment methods.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2013

Background: This study aims to examine the effects of sling exercise and common exercise on the pain level of various body parts. Methods: This study divided the subjects into a sling-exercise group and a common exercise group to for each group across the measurement times after practicing exercises twice per week for 8 weeks (total 16times). To compare the means of the experimental group and the control group on each variable, the ANOVA for repeated measure was used and if there was any significant difference across the measurement times, post-hoc comparisons were conducted for the difference. The T-tests for group difference according to exercise type on each of the variables showed the results as follows. Results: The results of this study suggest that there were significant difference in pain in shoulder pain, but no significant difference could be found in the Thoracic pain & Knee joint pain. There was no significant difference to distinguish between the sling exercise and the common exercise. Conclusions: Currently the sling exercise is not spread out widely in Korea, so that the recognition and studies of the sling exercise is still lacking. Hence, this study can hopefully facilitate popularity of the sling exercise and systematic prospect studies on it in the near future.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.82-89
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• 2012

Purpose: In this study, the effects of stability exercise, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and taping on pain and function in patients with myofascial pain syndrome of upper trapezius were compared. Methods: The subjects were divided into the stability exercise, ESWT and the taping treatment group and the clinical outcomes were evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS), pressure pain threshold (PPT) and a constant-murley scale (CMS) at pre-treatment and post-treatment. Paired t-test and ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Results: All groups were statistical significance in the change in visual analog scale (p<0.05). The difference between the ESWT group and taping group was statistical significance in the change in pressure pain threshold (p<0.05) except for the taping group. Using the constant-murley scale, the stability exercise group showed a significant decrease in pain, and a significant increase in ROM, ADL, strength, total score of shoulder (p<0.05); however, the ESWT group showed no difference on ADL. In addition, there was no difference in strength for the taping group. The comparison of the effect between the stability exercise group, ESWT group and taping group in CMS showed a statistical significant difference in pain, ADL and ROM (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results indicate that stability exercise, ESWT and taping could be considered an effective and efficient treatment modality for myofascial pain syndrome of upper trapezius.