2017, Vol.12, No.1

Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.45

pISSN : 1975-311X / eISSN : 2287-7215
https://journal.kci.go.kr/kspm

PURPOSE: This study was to determine the changes of abdominal muscles activation according to the heel contact methods of stair ascent in healthy young adults. METHODS: 33 healthy young subjects (mean age: 26.37±9.72 years, age range: 20-32 years) volunteered under two conditions. They were performed stair ascent with heel contact and without heel contact. The effects of heel contact methods were assessed using the surface electromyography (sEMG) analysis during stair ascent for activation of abdominal muscles (internal oblique; IO, transverse abdominis; TrA, external oblique; EO rectus abdominis; RA). The interventions were conducted over three trials in each method, and measurements were performed on each subject by one examiner in three trials. RESULTS: Our results revealed that there were significantly greater increase in the EMG activation of IO and TrA muscles in the performance of stair ascent with heel contact (p<.05) compared to those of stair ascent without heel contact. The results also showed that there were greater decrease in the ratio of abdominal muscle activation in those of stair ascent with heel contact compared with stair ascent without heel contact. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated that the method of stair ascent with heel contact would suggest positive evidence for improving activation of abdominal muscles.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of weight shift training with Hula Hoop on weight shift change and gait in stroke patients. METHODS: Ten stroke patients were enrolled in this study, and randomly divided into 2 groups. The study group underwent weight shift training with Hula Hoop, while the control group received general physical therapy that included weight shift training. All the studies were performed over a period of 4 weeks. Before and after the intervention, plantar pressure and performance in the 10 m walk test (10MWT) were assessed. Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to compare the change from before to after the intervention in each group. The differences between the study and control groups were analyzed by using the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of intervention, the change in weight shift and performance in the 10MWT from before to after the experiment showed no statistical significance (p>.05). In addition, the comparison between the groups showed no significance in terms of weight-shift change, and performance in the 10MWT (p>.05). CONCLUSION: Although the difference was not statistically significant, the degree of improvement was similar to that attained with the conventional exercise treatment related to weight- shift training. During the course of the treatment, the patients received feedback through repeated training by themselves. Weight-shift training with Hula Hoop would be effective in improving the walking ability and weight-shifting on the paralyzed side of stroke patients. In the future, the effectiveness of this training would need to be validated.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementary verbal encouragement according to the gender on the activation of abdominal muscles during performance of crunch exercise in healthy subjects. METHODS: A Total of 32 healthy subjects (15 male and 17 female) were randomly allocated to two conditions, crunch exercise with Ki-hap and verbal encouragement with same gender (CKVS) and crunch exercise with Ki-hap and verbal encouragement with different gender (CKVD). The interventions were conducted over three trials in each condition, and measurements were performed on each subject by one examiner in three trials. The activation of rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis muscles were evaluated using electromyography (EMG) during performance of crunch exercise with Ki-hap and verbal encouragement with same gender or different gender, respectively. RESULTS: The results showed that there were no significantly difference in the activation of all abdominal muscles in those of the CKVS compared with the CKVD (p>.05). The results also showed that there were no significantly difference in the ratio of muscle activation at global muscle to that at local muscle between two conditions (p>.05). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated that application of the supplementary verbal encouragement by gender does not affect to activate the abdominal muscles of subject to perform a movement, at the same time, it would suggest positive evidence for improving activation of abdominal muscles.