2020, Vol.15, No.3

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 examined the effects of muscle fatigue on proprioception in the type of taekwondo training, causing injury to taekwondo athletes. METHODS: The subjects were divided into Taekwondo Kyorugi athletes (n = 14) and Taekwondo Poomsae athletes (n = 14). After inducing muscle fatigue to the subjects, the joint position sense (JPS) and the force reproduction sense (FRS) were measured before and immediately after the induction of muscle fatigue. RESULTS: Studies have shown no significant impact on the JPS and FRS caused by muscle fatigue induced by Poomsae and Kyorugi (p > .05). The JPS, however, showed a significant difference before and after Kyorugi (p < .05). The FRS showed significant differences before and after Poomsae (p < .05). Through this study, the injuries to taekwondo athletes appear to be influenced by the joint position and force reproduction. Moreover, the injury appears to affect the joint position sense in Kyorugi athletes and the force reproduction sense in Poomsae athletes. CONCLUSION: The results will contribute to injury prevention and athlete protection. In addition, the information can be used as basic data for the development of sports injuries prevention and rehabilitation programs for Taekwondo athletes. Research is needed on the customized management of sports methods and self-care to prevent sports damage, considering the athletic characteristics of the taekwondo athletes in the future.

PURPOSE: Excessive activity of the upper trapezius (UT) muscle contributes to a rounded shoulder posture (RSP) through abnormal rotation of the scapula that weakens the lower trapezius (LT) and serratus anterior (SA) muscles. This study compared the effects of two arm-lifting exercises with and without the use of a Thera-band on the activities of LT, SA, and UT muscles, and the LT/UT and SA/UT activity ratio in subjects with a rounded shoulder posture. METHODS: Sixteen subjects with RSP participated in this study. All subjects performed arm-lifting (AL), diagonal arm-lifting (DAL), arm lifting with isometric adduction (ALIA), and diagonal arm-lifting with isometric adduction (DALIA) exercises. The surface electromyography data, LT, SA, UT, and the LT/UT and SA/UT activity ratios were measured. A paired t-test was used to compare the differences between two arm-lifting exercises and two arm lifting with isometric adduction exercises. RESULTS: In ALIA and DALIA exercises, the UT muscle activity decreased significantly, whereas the LT/UT, SA/UT activity ratio increased significantly. The activity of SA muscle increased significantly more with DALIA than that with DAL. CONCLUSION: Arm-lifting exercises using a Thera-band can be implemented as an effective way to reduce the UT overactivity and increase the SA activity and LT/UT, SA/UT activity ratio in subjects with RSP.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the efficacy of interferential current (IFC) treatment on the improvement of pain, disability, and balance in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. METHODS: A double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted with 40 patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups: the IFC treatment group (n = 20) and the placebo treatment group (n = 20). The IFC group received 30 minutes of IFC treatment on the lumbar region, while the placebo group received IFC treatment without real electrical stimulation. The intervention was administered five days a week for two weeks. RESULTS: The primary outcomes of resting pain and pain during functional movement were measured by a visual analogue scale. The secondary measurements included the Oswestry disability index (ODI) for low back pain and postural sway. The measurements were performed before and after the two-week intervention period. Compared to the placebo treatment group, the IFC treatment group showed significantly greater improvement in pain during anterior trunk flexion in the standing position (p = .029), ODI (p = .039), and postural sway when subjects stood with their eyes closed (p = .010) at the end of the intervention. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that IFC treatment can improve pain, disability, and postural sway, thus, highlighting the benefits of somatosensory stimulation from IFC.