• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.36-47
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• 2013

Objective : To identify the effect of bilateral arm training for activities of daily living(ADL) of the chronic phase after stroke. Methods : 20 patients with stroke, randomized to an experimental group(n=10) and a control group(n=10). Both groups received the usual occupational therapy. In addition, an experimental group received an bilateral arm training, 30-min sessions per a day for 6 weeks. The Functional Independence Measure(FIM) was used to evaluate ADL for both groups. Results : First, there is a significant difference before and after receiving the bilateral arm training(p <.05). Second, there are significant differences in all ADL areas of Self-care, Transfer, Social cognition after bilateral arm training(p<.05). Third, there are significant differences in all sub-areas of Self-care, only stairs of Locomotion, and only Problem solving of Social cognition by comparing sub-areas as bilateral arm activity(before and after) and occupational therapy intervention(before and after). Conclusion : Using bilateral arm training for the chronic phase after stroke improved their abilities of ADL. Therefore, there are an expectation to use bilateral activity training for the chronic after stroke clinically and a need of further study about bilateral arm training related to ADL in the future.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.202-222
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• 2003

Chronic upper extremity hemiparesis is a leading cause of functional disability after stroke. The purpose of this study were to identify effects of a 6weeks repetitive bilateral arm training on upper motor function and the reorganization of motor network. Four chronic stroke patients participated in this study. They performed for 6 consecutive weeks, 3 days a week, 30 minutes a day. In the single group study, four 5-minute periods per session of bilateral arm training were performed with the use of a custom-designed arm training machine. The results of this study was as follows. 1. Following the 6weeks period of RBAT, patient exhibited a improvement in FMA and BBT. 2. Following the 6weeks period of RBAT, it showed improvement in reaching time, symbol digit substitution and finger tapping speed of KCNT. 3. fMRI activation after RBAT showed a focal map in lesional cortical area and perilesional motor areas. These fMRI data suggest that hemodynamics response to RBAT reflect sensorimotor reorganization in contralateral hemisphere. In conclusion, these date suggest that improved upper extremity function induced by repetitive bilateral arm training after stroke is associated with reorganization of motor network as a neural basis for the improvement of paratic upper extremity function.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.65-72
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• 2011

Purpose: The intention of this study was to investigate the effects of modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) with bilateral arm training (BAT) on the motor performance and daily activity performance of individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke. Methods: Sixteen subjects one year after stroke participated in this study with a control group; the pretest-posttest method was used. The subjects were randomly allocated into two groups: combination of bilateral arm training and modified constraint-induced movement therapy (n=8), and modified constraint-induced movement therapy (n=8). The mCIMT group received therapy for 90 minutes in 3 sessions per week over a period of 4 weeks. The patients receiving a combination of mCIMT and BAT were treated for the same period and frequency. The results were evaluated using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and Motor Activity Log-Amount of Use, and Quality of Movement (MAL-AOU, QOM) assessment tools. Results: The Fugl-Meyer Assessment showed that hand and wrist performance improved significantly more in the mCIMT group than in the Combination group (p<0.05). Result from the ARAT assessment showed greater scores for gross movement in the combined group than in the mCIMT group (p<0.05). The MAL-AOU showed that there was greater improvement in the combined group than in the mCIMT group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The forced use of the more affected side can be important for the enhancement of upper extremity performance for chronic hemiparetic stroke patients during their daily activities.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.374-378
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• 2021

Objective: Bilateral movement training is an effective method for upper extremity rehabilitation of stroke. An approach to induce bilateral movement through functional electrical stimulation is attempted. The purpose of this study is to develop an EMG-triggered functional electrical stimulation device for upper extremity bilateral movement training in stroke patients and test its feasibility. Design: Feasibility and Pilot study design. Methods: We assessed muscle activation and kinematic data of the affected and unaffected upper extremities of a stroke patient during wrist flexion and extension with and without the device. Wireless EMG was used to evaluate muscle activity, and 12 3D infrared cameras were used to evaluate kinematic data. Results: We developed an EMG-triggered functional electrical stimulation device to enable bilateral arm training in stroke patients. A system for controlling functional electrical stimulation with signals received through a 2-channel EMG sensor was developed. The device consists of an EMG sensing unit, a functional electrical stimulation unit, and a control unit. There was asymmetry of movement between the two sides during wrist flexion and extension. With the device, the asymmetry was lowest at 60% of the threshold of the unaffected side. Conclusions: In this study, we developed an EMG-triggered FES device, and the pilot study result showed that the device reduces asymmetry.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.7-11
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• 2005

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of variability of training on the acquisition of motor skill of closed loop type tracking task using Rotary Pursuit, and to determine if there was a bilateral transfer effect to the non-dominant hand following practice with the dominant hand. Twelve healthy volunteer students (5 males and 7 females, aged 25 to 37) were randomly divided into a constant practice group and a variable practice group. A photoelectric rotary pursuit apparatus with stop clock and repeat cycle timer by Lafayette Instrumentation Co. was used for this study. Rotary pursuit is a closed loop task in which a subject attempts to keep a photoelectric stylus on a lighted target in motion. Subjects performed the clockwise circular pursuit task while standing. Experimental procedure was divided into three sessions, namely, pre-test, training, and post-test. The constant group practiced all 60 trials at 30 rpm. Variable practice group did a varied practice session with 15 trials at speeds of 20 rpm, 26 rpm, 34 rpm, and 46 rpm. No one in either group practiced with their non-dominant arm. A Mann-Whitney test and a Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test were used for statistical analyses. The results of this study showed no different training effect between groups on the post-test with the dominant hand. However, bilateral transfer effect of rotary pursuit task between hands was demonstrated. Possible mechanisms are discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the convergence effect of focal vibration stimulation and bilateral upper limb training on the recovery of upper limb function when applied to stroke patients. For 20 stroke patients, divided into an experimental group that performed convergence intervention with focal vibration stimulation and bilateral upper limb training, and a control group who performed only bilateral upper limb training. It was conducted 20 times for 4 weeks, 30 minutes per session. Vibration stimulation was applied to the affected side of the experimental group for 30 minutes during training. Results were measured for the degree of recovery of the affected upper limb function, amount of use on the affected and unaffected sides, the quality and satisfaction in performance on use of both upper limbs. Comparisons were made within groups using a paired-sample t-test and between groups using covariance analysis. As a result of the study, the experimental group showed a significant difference in dexterity and the amount of use on the affected than the control group. The effect size was more than the small effect size in all evaluation items. Through this study, it is thought that the convergence intervention of focal vibration stimulation and bilateral upper limb trainingcan be used clinically as an effective intervention for the recovery of arm function in stroke patients.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.114-121
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• 2008

Within 2 to 5 months after stroke, patients recover variable degrees of function, depending on the initial deficit. An impaired hand function is one of the most serious disability in chronic stroke patients. Therefore, to evaluate the extent of motor dysfunction in the hemiplegic hand is important in stroke rehabilitation. In this paper, motor recoveries in 8 chronic stroke patients with Fugl-Meyer (FM) and white matter changes before and after the training program with a designed bilateral symmetrical arm trainer (BSAT) system were examined. The training was performed at 1 hr/day, 5 days/week during 6weeks. In all patients, FM was significantly improved after the 6-week training. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) results showed that tractional anisotropy ratio (FAR) and fiber tracking ratio (FTR) in the posterior internal capsule were significantly increased after the training. It seemed that the cortical reorganization was induced by the 6 week training with the BSAT. In all parameters proposed this study, a significant correlation was found between these parameters (FAR and FTR) and motor recoveries. This study demonstrated that DTI technique could be useful in predicting motor recovery in chronic hemiparetic patients.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.85-88
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• 2018

Local flaps exhibit excellent color matching that no other type of flap can compete with. Moreover, surgery using a local flap is easier and faster than surgery using a distant or free flap. However, local flaps can be much more difficult to design. We designed 2 templates to plan a V-Y rotation advancement flap. The template for a unilateral V-Y rotation advancement flap was used on the face (n=5), anterior tibia (n=1), posterior axilla (n=1), ischium (n=1), and trochanter (n=2). The template for a bilateral flap was used on the sacrum (n=8), arm (n=1), and anterior tibia (n=1). The causes of the defects were meningocele (n=3), a decubitus ulcer (n=5), pilonidal sinus (n=3), and skin tumor excision (n=10). The meningocele patients were younger than 8 days. The mean age of the adult patients was 50.4 years (range, 19-80 years). All the donor areas of the flaps were closed primarily. None of the patients experienced wound dehiscence or partial/total flap necrosis. The templates guided surgeons regarding the length and the placement of the incision for a V-Y rotation advancement flap according to the size of the wound. In addition, they could be used for the training of residents.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.133-137
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• 2015

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with primary frozen shoulder in a Korean population. Methods: A total of 1,373 patients whose shoulders were diagnosed with primary frozen shoulder across 11 resident-training hospitals were reviewed retrospectively. Various demographic characteristics and clinical characteristics according to gender and presence of diabetes were evaluated. Results: The average age of patients was 55.4 years. Gender proportion was 58.3% females and 41.7% males. The frozen shoulder involved the non-dominant arm in 60.7% of patients and the bilateral arms in 17.6% of patients. The average duration of symptoms was 8.9 months, and 51.3% of patients had experienced nocturnal pain. Comorbidities associated with frozen shoulder in our sample of patients included diabetes (18.7%), cardiovascular diseases (17.7%), thyroid diseases (5.4%), and cerebrovascular diseases (3.6%). The diabetic group was correlated with the following demographic and clinical characteristics: old age, involvement of the dominant arm, nocturnal pain, long duration of symptoms, and no history of trauma. Further, we found that, in males, having a frozen shoulder was significantly correlated with a history of trauma; in females, having a frozen shoulder was significantly correlated with having thyroid diseases. Conclusions: These demographic data of primary frozen shoulder in the Korean population were consistent with those of previously reported epidemiologic studies. Primary frozen shoulder with diabetes was correlated with old age, bilateral involvement, long duration of symptoms, and nocturnal pain.