Earticle

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of falls experiences on balance ability in people with stroke. The participant was 105 of community-residing stroke patients. Berg balance scale (BBS) and activities-specific balance confidence scale (ABC) were measured by trained physical therapists. There was a significant correlation of BBS and ABC (r=.58, p<.05). Fall experiences and numbers of onset were associated with BBS (p<.05) and fall experiences and numbers of living family were associated with ABC (p<.05). Fall experience gave more influence to the ABC than the BBS (p<.05). Preventing falls experiences during daily living will contribute to break the vicious circle ring between the balance ability and falls.

There are numerous programs for the management of spastic diplegic cerebral palsy in clinical setting; however, therapeutic exercise program in submerged condition was in little attention from clinicians. Therefore, this study aimed to introduce detailed aquatic exercise protocol for cerebral palsy, and then report their results. Aquatic exercise program consisted of three processes to facilitate trunk mobility: (1) lateral shifting exercise to both sides, (2) forward and backward movements of trunk, and (3) axial rotation exercises to the sides. This program was performed 35 minutes twice per week for a period of the 6-week. Measurement tool included the pediatric reach test (PRT), and measurements were performed before and after the program. PRT score was improved by 74.33% (from 113 mm at pre-test to 197 mm at post-test) after the intervention. The finding suggests that the aquatic exercise program focusing trunk mobility may lead to favorable change in trunk control. Further studies warrant the result of this study.

This study aimed to identify the effects of the 8-week backward walking training on lumbar extensor muscle strength in young patients with lumbar radiculopathy. 17 patients (9 males and 8 females) with lumbar radiculopathy were recruited for this study. The backward walking training on treadmill was performed for 40 minutes, three times per week for 8 weeks (a total of 24 sessions). Lumbar extensor strength was evaluated with the Medx system, which measures the maximum voluntary isometric torques of lumbar extension at seven different lumbar angles (0°, 12°, 24°, 36°, 48°, 60°, and 72°). Measurements were carried out three times: baseline, after 4 weeks, and after 8 weeks. For data analysis, repeated measure ANOVA was used to compare the lumbar extensor strength at different angles, and paired t-test was used to find significant differences in comparison between the measurement times. After 8 weeks, lumbar extensor muscle strength appeared to be significantly increased at most angles(p<.05). Post-hoc test showed significant differences between the baseline and after 4 weeks, and between baseline and after 8 weeks. These results suggest that the backward treadmill walking training may be beneficial for improving the strength of lumbar extensor muscle in patients with lumbar radicupathy presenting low back pain.

This study was to identify the effects of task oriented training of trunk stability on a swiss ball in sitting position on trunk stability and balance in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. 20 subjects were participated in this study and allocated into the experimental group (EG) trained with task oriented training on a swiss ball and the control group (CG) trained with it on a mat. Pediatric reaching test (PRT) and Touching-to-the-ground in Trunk control measurement scale (tTCMS) for trunk stability and Sitting, Quadruped and Kneeling in Gross motor function measure (sGMFM, qGMFM and kGMFM) and Static and Dynamic stability in TCMS (sTCMS and dTCMS) for balance were used as assessment tools conducted before and after 8-week training. In results, there were significant differences in PRT, tTCMS, sGMFM, qGMFM, kGMFM, sTCMS and dTCMS in both EG and CG (p<.05). And there were more significant differences in PRT, tTCMS, sTCMS and dTCMS of EG than those in CG (p<.05). Therefore, this study showed that task oriented training of trunk stability on a swiss ball in sitting position gave beneficial effects on trunk stability and balance in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.

This study aimed to compare the effects of the activity of the biceps brachii on different contralateral elbow exercises during isometric contraction of the elbow flexor. Twenty-four healthy subjects were recruited to participate in this study. The subjects performed three types of exercise with the contralateral elbow during isometric contraction of the elbow joint on the dominant side: (1) single exercise (no contralateral exercise), (2) concurrent exercise (isometric contraction of the contralateral elbow flexor), and (3) reciprocal exercise (isometric contraction of the contralateral elbow extensor). Electromyography (EMG) data were collected from the biceps brachii. The EMG activity of the biceps brachii was significantly higher for the reciprocal exercise when compared with single and concurrent exercises, respectively (p<0.05). These findings suggest that the reciprocal exercise of the contralateral limb may be beneficial to improve the muscle activity of the elbow joint. It provides useful information to improve the efficacy of exercise performance.

The 6-min walk test (6MWT) are a measurement tool to evaluate a distance that subjects, including commonly elderly and patients with cardiopulmonary and neurological impairments, walks for 6 minutes. Outcome of the 6MWT indicates subject’s level of aerobic fitness to move their body for a longer time, and can be variously utilized to compare the effects of pre- and post-intervention for patients with cardiopulmonary diseases, predict the morbidity and mortality in some diseases, and evaluate physical endurance level of patients with neurological impairments such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and incomplete ambulatory spinal cord injury. Previous studies have been recognized that the use of a straight 20-m or 30-m walk routes during the 6MWT is probably the best option to achieve the optimal outcome of the measurement. In clinical setting, the 10-min walk test (10MWT) has been frequently used to assess the walking velocity of numerous patients with orthopedic and neurological patients, with simple procedure and easy application; however, the walking velocity from the 10MWT can be overestimated as compared to that of the 6MWT. Accordingly, keep in mind that precaution needs to interpret the findings of the 10MWT for patients with neurological impairment such as stroke. In general, most of the walk tests for identifying walking performance of post-stroke hemiparesis are performed in the walk routes indoor, which contribute to misunderstanding patients’ capacity to walk indoor and outdoor because of the lack of environmental actuality. Therefore, research exploration should be focused on the technical goal of using the 6MWT to reflect the walk performance in various environments afterward rather than report the findings taken under simple environment controlled by their conveniences.

Stroke is the sudden onset of neurological deficits due to a presumed local disturbance in the blood supply to the brain, producing motor and sensory impairments. Stroke rehabilitation comprises a variety of approaches to recover functional problems. Physical therapy intervention focuses on the recovery of functional abilities (e.g. gait and balance abilities). Currently, various approaches to treat motor impairments represent repetitive practice of active movement in paretic limbs, leading to beneficial effects induced from positive neuronal plasticity. The electroencephalography (EEG) is an electrophysiological monitoring method to record electrical activity of the brain. Mu wave (μ wave) is the greatest power increased or decreased while performing the movement tasks at the sensorimotor cortex. Decrease in the μ wave has been called as desynchronization, which appears during the observation and execution of goal-directed actions, reflecting mirror neuron function. Various physical therapy approaches are effective tools to improve functional abilities after stroke. Almost study has focused on measurements of functional abilities to demonstrate therapeutic effects of treatment methods. The measurements using EEG introduces the cortical change during treatment. This study provides beneficial information for the use of EEG, including theoretical background and the measurement method of EEG. These efforts should provide a basis to demonstrate to effects of physical therapy in stroke rehabilitation.

There are many different types of pain after stroke. Weakness after stroke is one of the most common symptoms of stroke. This can lead to harmful effects such as pain, muscle stiffness and various joint problems. Some patients with chronic stroke can experience central pain and headaches after stroke. This study aimed to describe the detailed types of pain, pain-related clinical symptoms, and a variety of therapeutic approaches to relieve pain after stroke. Pain after stroke may persist for some time, and in such reason, medication and physical therapy are often successful for relieving pain. Many studies have been evidenced the effects of physical therapy such as nerve mobilization, electrical stimulation, taping, and so on. Therefore, keep in mind that the understandings of post-stroke pain may be helpful to establish specific knowledge and detailed practical guideline for its management. Based on these concepts, clinicians and researchers make an effort to demonstrate appropriate approaches with easy application and adaptable way. This study provides useful information for further studies.