• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.100-104
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• 2018

Purpose: An axillary crutch is the most commonly used assistive device in foot and ankle patients who require nonweightbearing. On the other hand, its use frequently induces axillary or wrist pain and critical neurovascular injuries have been reported in several studies. This study compared the clinical outcomes of patients using the knee walker and axillary crutch. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed comparing the utility of a knee walker and axillary crutch as a nonweightbearing ambulatory aid for 62 foot and ankle patients treated between November 2016 and March 2018. A comparative study of the two orthosis could be performed because all the patients temporarily used an axillary crutch before or after the use of a knee walker. A demographic study and comparative analysis based on the visual analogue scale (VAS) satisfaction score (0~100), complications, and fall down history were evaluated. Furthermore, under the assumption of having retreatment, their preference of orthosis between the knee walker and axillary crutch was investigated. Results: The mean age of the patients was 36.5 and the mean duration of ambulation with a knee walker and axillary crutch were 5.2 and 2.4 weeks. The VAS satisfaction score of the knee walker and crutch was 88.8 and 27.5, respectively (p<0.05). The most frequent complications of the knee walker and crutch were ipsilateral knee pain (6 cases) and axillary or wrist pain (56 cases), respectively. No case of falling down occurred during knee walker ambulation, but there were two cases of crutch ambulation. Fifty-eight patients (93.5%) preferred the knee walker and four patients (6.5%) preferred a crutch. Conclusion: Compared to the axillary crutch, the knee walker afforded lower complication and higher satisfaction. Most patients preferred the knee walker to a crutch. Therefore, the knee walker is an efficient and safe orthosis for foot and ankle patients who require nonweightbearing.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.239-245
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• 2013

Purpose: Osteoarthritis occurs in many different joints of the body, causing pain, stiffness, and decreased function. The knee is the most frequently affected joint of the lower limb. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences of biomechanics between independent gait and anterior walker dependent gait of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Methods: Lower limb joint kinematics and kinetics were evaluated in 15 patients with knee osteoarthritis when walking independently and when walking with an anterior walker. Participants were evaluated in a gait laboratory, with self-selected gait speed and natural arm swing. Results: When walking with a dependent anterior walker, participants walked significantly faster (p<0.01), using a longer stride length (p<0.01), compared to independent gait. When walking with a dependent anterior walker, participants exhibited significantly greater knee flexion/extension motion (p<0.01) and lower knee flexion moment (p<0.05) compared to independent gait. When walking with a dependent anterior walker, participants showed significantly greater peak ankle motion (p<0.01), ankle dorsiflexion/plantarflexion moments (p<0.01), and ankle power generation (p<0.05) compared to independent gait. Conclusion: These biomechanical properties of gait, observed when participants walked with a dependent anterior walker, may be a compensatory response to impaired knee function to allow sufficient power generation for propulsion. Therefore, rehabilitative strategies for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee are needed in order to improve not only knee function but also hip and ankle function.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2017

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to find out the difference motion of hip, knee and ankle joint during walking according to using walker on older people. Method : Korean older people of 34 subjects was participated in this study. Participants was measured joint motion on hip, knee and ankle joint during both conditions (walking with walker and without walker). The measured data were analyzed using independent t-test to investigate the difference of joint motion on the both condition. The statistical analyses were performed using Predictive Analytics Soft Ware (PASW) for windows(Ver. 19) and p-value less than .05 were considered significant for all cases. Result : The study showed that more joint motion on hip flexion and ankle pronation is increased by using walker. And hip extension, knee external rotation and ankle plantar flexion is decreased by using walker. Conclusion : This study suggest that using walker on older people was change the motion of the lower limb joint during walking. Therefore, It is necessary to develop a new walker that can reduce dependency and ensure stability on older people during walking.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.339-348
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• 2012

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to compare muscle activations of neck, trunk and leg in cerebral palsy of spastic diplegia with genu recurvatum and knee flexion contracture, when using anterior and posterior walkers. Methods : We selected 21 cerebral palsy and received the written consent to participate in this study. The inclusion criteria for participation required patients to have spastic diplegic CP; to be between 3~6 years of age, to have a GMFCS III grade, to have no botulinum toxin injection and orthopedics surgery within before six months starting the study. Measurements of muscle activities (sternocleidomastoid, splenius capitis, rectus abdominis, erector spinea, gluteus maximus, rectus femoris, medial hamstring and calf muscles) were evaluated anterior and posterior walker ambulations. Statistical evaluation of these data were accomplished by utilizing the paired t-test and independent t-test by SPSS 20.0 program. Significance level was set at p<.05. Results : The following results were obtained. There was significant difference on muscle activation of neck, trunk and legs(soleus except) in anterior and posterior walkers. There was no significant difference in muscle activation of neck but significant difference in muscle activation of trunk, legs between genu recurvatum and knee flexion contracture(rectus abdominis, medial hamstring when using anterior walker, rectus abdominis, erector spinea, gluteus maximus, medial hamstring when using posterior walker). Conclusion : The conclusion of this study is the different knee joint forms would have different effect on muscle activation of trunk and legs while cerebral palsy of spastic diplegic ambulated with anterior walker and posterior walker.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.184-184
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• 2018

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1987.10a
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• pp.797-800
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• 1987

We developed a biofeedback gait training system; a 12 m measuring walkway with a training walker which moves at prescribed velocity. The walkway measures a.11 temporal and distance factors of gait. This system provides visual feedback for distance factors and auditory one for temporal at the prescribed walking velocity. Experiments were performed on normal and degenerative knee joint subjects, and this system was verified to be very useful.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.259-265
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• 2014

The aims of this study are to investigate the walking intention detection of a rollator based on Infraed (IR) sensor measuring knee joint anterior displacement and leg muscle activities. We used Active Walker attached IR sensor to measure the knee joint anterior displacement and EMG signal of leg muscles(rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius) were taken by Delsys bagnli-8ch. Subjects were eight healthy males(age $23.7{\pm}0.5years$, height $175.4{\pm}2.3cm$, weight $70.6{\pm}5.6kg$) and they were involved in experiments which had been proceeded 30 minutes a week, during 3 weeks. This system indicates that the knee joint anterior displacement had the distinction increases according to the gait slope and velocity. We showed the increase of the femoral muscle activities along the anterior tilt and the increase of the crural muscle activities along the posterior tilt.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.69-80
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• 1998

This research was designed to investigate how the exercise program affects paraplegic standing and walking employing functional electrical stimulation(FES). Emphasis was also given to fatigue of major lower extremity muscles induced by different types of electrical stimulation. We applied continuous and intermittent rectangular pulse trains to quadriceps of 10 normal subjects and 4 complete paraplegic patients. The frequencies were 20Hz and 80Hz, and the knee angle was fixed at 90$^{\circ}$and 150$^{\circ}$to investigate how muscle fatigue is related to muscle length. The knee extensor torque was measured and monitored. We have been training quadriceps and gastrocnemius of a male paraplegic patient by means of electrical stimulation for the past two year. FES standing was initiated when the knee extensors became strong enough to support the body weight, and then the patient started FES walking utilizing parallel bars and a walker. We used an 8-channel constant-voltage stimulator and surface electrodes. The experimental results indicated that paralyzed muscles fatigued rapidly around the optimal length contrary to normal muscles and confirmed that low frequency and intermittent stimulation delayed fatigue. Our exercise program increased muscle force by approximately 10 folds and decreased the fatigue index to half of the initial value. In addition, the exercise enabled the patient to voluntarily lift each leg up to 10cm, which was of great help to the swing phase of FES walking. Both muscle force and resistance to fatigue were significantly enhanced right after the exercise was applied every day instead of 6 days a week. Up to date, the patient can walk for more than two and half minutes at 10m/min while controlling the on/off time of the stimulator by pushing the toggle switch attached to the walker handle.