• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.222-229
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of treadmill exercise on the posture and walking speed of chronic stroke survivors with an ankle-foot orthosis. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Twenty-four chronic persons with chronic stroke admitted to Bobath Memorial Hospital in Seongnam city were divided into two groups by random blind method. Treadmill exercise with an elastic ankle-foot orthosis was performed in the experimental group and treadmill exercise was performed in the control group. The experiment was carried out for 6 weeks, and the experiment was carried out three times a week for 20 minutes per session. To measure the effect, static balance was measured using the MTD system before and after training, and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was used to measure functional balance. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in the BBS measurement results for confirming the functional balance (p<0.05). Also, there was a significant difference between the 2 groups in single limb support time, step time and step length (p<0.05). Conclusions: In this study, it was found that treadmill exercise with an elastic ankle-foot orthosis in persons with chronic stroke was effective in maintaining functional balance, walking ability, step length, and step time. Therefore, it is necessary to use a flexible ankle-foot orthosis with proper treadmill exercise as a method of improving balance and walking speed of chronic stroke survivors.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a handrail (presence and position) on treadmill gait and balance in stroke patients during gait training. Methods: 39 patients with stroke (male 31, female 8) participated in this study. The training groups were classified into a no-handrail group (NHG), front handrail group (FHG), and bilateral handrail group (BHG). Each group comprised 13 subjects. The subjects were trained to walk in a straight path 30 minutes per day for 8 weeks. The Good Balance System was used to measure static balance and dynamic balance. To measure walking ability, timed up and go (TUG) was also assessed. Results: The NHG showed no significant differences in static balance, dynamic balance, and TUG. The FHG was significantly different in their medial-lateral speed of static balance, dynamic balance, and TUG. The BHG was significantly different in their static balance, dynamic balance, and TUG. Conclusion: These findings consider the effects of holding handrails concomitantly with changes in postural stability. We conclude that for training stroke patients, treadmill walking while holding handrails improves balance and gait more than treadmill walking without holding handrails. The resulting changes in muscle activity patterns may facilitate the transfer to a gait pattern. The results of this study suggest methods for training treadmill walking in stroke patients.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.393-400
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• 2015

This paper describes the development of a chest-wearable robot that can efficiently perform self walking rehabilitation without a helper. The features of the developed robot are divided into three parts. First, as a mechanical characteristic, the conventional elbow crutch is attached at the forearm. However, the proposed robot is attached to the patient's chest, enabling them to feel free to use their hands and eliminate the burden of the arms. Second, as a characteristic of the driving algorithm, pressure sensors attached to the chest automatically perceive the patient's walking intention and move the robot-leg thereafter. Also, for safety, it stops operating when an obstacle is found in front of the patient by using ultrasonic sensors and generates a beeping sound. Finally, by using the scotch yoke mechanism, supporting legs are moved up and down using a rotary servo motor without excessive torque that is generated by large ground reaction forces. We showed that the developed robot can effectively perform self walking rehabilitation through walking experiments, and its performance was verified using Electromyograph (EMG) sensors.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the influences on gait features during mobile phone use while ramp walking. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Thirty-three healthy adult subjects performed four walking conditions on an outside ramp with a 5 m length, 1.5 m width, and a $5^{\circ}$ angle. All participants were touch screen mobile phone users. Four walking conditions were used: 1) ramp ascent, 2) ramp descent, 3) texting during ramp ascent, and 4) texting during ramp descent. In conditions 3) and 4), subjects texted the words of "Aegukga"-the song of patriotism-while walking. Upon the signal of start, the subjects walked the ramp during texting. Gait parameters were measured at the length of 3 m excluding 1 m of the start and end of the total length. Each situation was repeated three times for each subject, and mean values were calculated. For gait examination, a gait analyzer was used (OptoGait). Results: Subjects ranged in age from 23 to 38 years (mean age, 27.73). Eighty-three percent of subjects in our study had experienced an accident during mobile phone use. Texting on a mobile phone while walking significantly decreased ramp gait, speed, cadence, stride length, step length, and single support (p<0.05) and significantly increased stride time, step time, gait cycle, and double support (p<0.05). There was a significant difference in cadence, step length, stride time, step time, and single support during ramp ascent and descent (p<0.05). Conclusions: Texting on a mobile phone while walking significantly decreased gait quality.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2015

Purpose: The accelerometer is a tool for evaluating walking by the displacement of the center of mass (COM) in the body. Recently, smartphones have added an accelerometer app, and it can be used to evaluate outcomemanures in rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the COM in the bodies of normal persons and stroke patients using this smartphone application while walking. Methods: Twenty normal persons and twenty-two stroke patients were recruited and had their COM measured using G-walk and the smartphone application, SMAP, during 10 m walking. Subjects repeated the 10 m of walking 3 times, and we used the SMAP, Accelerometer Monitor ver. 1.5.0, to evaluate COM during the walk. To measure the displacement of COM, we used the difference in value between the maximal angle and the minimum anterior-posterior (AP), mediolateral (ML), and rotational angles during the walk. Results: For the normal persons, there was significant correlation between the AP and AP of SMAP, and was also a significant correlation between rotational angle and the ML of SMAP. In the stroke patients, there was significant correlation between AP and ML, and the rotational angle of SMAP. Conclusion: Our research results suggest that if the SMAP system is reinforced in the case of patients who have a greater displacement of COM, it may be used as an evaluation tool during walking.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.1-5
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• 2013

In this paper, we proposed how to estimate the walking state in the knee disarticulation prosthesis's knee angle control. In control of the knee disarticulation prosthesis, we can estimate walking state that measurement of knee angle using absolute encoder and measurement of load on the soles using strain gage. We suggested a method of estimating the current walking states which can be divided into four cases and showed the effectiveness of the method via a series of experiments.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.1137-1142
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• 2004

Walking training is one of the most important rehabilitation processes with paralysis patient. Walking training by using an orthosis can help advancing a patient's independent level. However, existing orthoses have some serious demerit of mechanical problem that the knee joint is locked in the state where it is completely extended, which increases energy consumption and fatigue. For this reason, it is suggested, for more practical orthosis, that the knee joint should be placed and it should have capability of suspending patient's weight. In this paper, 1-DOF walking orthosis which compensates the demerit of the existing orthosis and secures patient's mobility has been proposed. New orthosis has been designed under the following two premises. First, the knee joint of the orthosis was designed fold in order for the orthosis to move in a walking pattern similar to that of a normal person. Second, the knee joint was designed to extend during the swing phase and lock safely during the stance phase.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.299-303
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• 2014

Demand of moving auxiliary equipment has increased recently to an increase in the elderly population. pedestrian demand is either moving auxiliary equipment are also increasing. regional migration, such as pedestrian and the elderly and patients is a device to support the sharing received walking the weight of inconvenient people. In this paper, by mounting the electric function to the current manual walking, to prepare the electric walking to support the user's walking. the design applies a lightweight folding structure so that it can be moved to a ride at long distances, were fabricated.

• 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.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.305-314
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• 2024

Purpose: This study examines the correlations between neck pain, neck range of motion, static and dynamic balance abilities, and walking abilities in patients with chronic stroke. Methods: A total of 29 participants were selected from patients with chronic stroke experiencing moderate to severe neck pain. Their neck pain, neck range of motion, static and dynamic balance abilities, and walking abilities were assessed and measured. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to analyze the measurements and determine the correlations between neck pain, neck range of motion, static and dynamic balance abilities, and walking abilities. Results: Neck pain significantly correlated with static and dynamic balance and walking abilities. Regarding neck ROM, neither neck flexion nor extension showed significant correlations with static balance and walking abilities. However, except for left-lateral flexion, neck lateral flexion showed significant correlations with static and dynamic balance and walking abilities. Left-lateral flexion did not show a significant correlation with dynamic balance ability. Except for left rotation, neck rotation showed significant correlations with static and dynamic balance and walking abilities. Left rotation did not show a significant correlation with dynamic balance ability. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that there are correlations between neck pain, neck range of motion, balance abilities, and walking ability.