The Short Physical Performance Battery in Some Korean Rural Community

OBJECTIVE: To investigate a characteristics of short physical performance battery (SPPB) in some Korean rural community and to obtain a preliminary data of SPPB in Korea. METHOD: A total of 488 persons aged 22 to 82 with no disability, interviewed and administered a SPPB and a balance test using Mediance(R). Subjects were divided into 3 groups with high (less than 6 points), medium (7 to 9 points) and low (10 to 12 points) risk groups according to SPPB score. Lower extremity performance was measured using SPPB including assessment of standing balance, a timed 4-m walk, and timed test of rising 5 times from a chair. Chronic condition were ascertained as self-report of past disease history. The relationship between general characteristics of subjects, self-report of past history of disease, limb load asymmetry, postural sway and SPPB score were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: In a multivariate analysis, older age, lower educational background and high body fat mass were associated independently with poor performance. In a multivariateanalysis of subjects aged 60 or older, older age, lower educational background and history of hypertension were associated independently with poor performance. CONCLUSION: These findings should be considered in planning specially tailored intervention for disability prevention in this subgroups. And this study provides the preliminary evidence that a SPPB is a useful tool in evaluating Korean elderly who are not disabled but have poor lower extremity performance.

Changes in the Pressure Threshold of Myofascial Trigger Points Following Freezing Cold Air Application

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of cold air application on the pressure threshold of myofascial trigger points. METHOD: The 60 patients with myofascial trigger points in unilateral infraspinatus muscle were divided into 3 groups with equal number and cold air was applied using CRAis (Kyung-won Century, Korea) for 1, 3 and 5 minutes. We examined the changes of pressure threshold in myofascial trigger points before, immediately after and 30 minutes after cold air application. Also we examined the changes of pressure threshold of contralateral infraspinatus muscles. RESULTS: 1) The pressure threshold of trigger point in infraspinatus muscle were increased immediately and 30 minutes after the cold air application as assessed by the pressure algometer (p0.05). 3) There was no significant correlations among the age, the body mass index and the changes of pressure threshold in myofascial trigger points (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the cold air application is a effective method for treatment of myofascial trigger points.

Analysis of the Stance Phase in a Hemiplegic Patient by the Measurement of Plantar Pressure

OBJECTS: The purpose of this study is to estimate the values of foot pressure of the stance phase during a gait cycle in hemiplegic gait. METHOD: Thirty patients who had a stroke and forty healthy adults were evaluated by the EMED-SF system to analyze the stance phase of hemiplegic gait. The stance phase was evaluated by 6 points according to the foot pressure and center of pressure proposed by Lee et al.2) RESULTS: 1) In hemiplegics, the stance time of involved limb decreased compared with that of the uninvolved limb and increased that of control groups (p<0.05). 2) In hemiplegics, the midstance time increased but the loading response and terminal stance decreased compared with the uninvolved limb and controls (p<0.05). 3) In hemiplegics, the midstance time decreased and the loading response and terminal phase increased according to the increased Brunnstrom stage (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results showed that an analysis of stance phase by the measurement of plantar pressure was a valuable parameter in the gait analysis of hemiplegic patients.

Changes in the Pressure Threshold of Myofascial Trigger Points of the Shoulder Girdle Muscles Following Stretching Exercise

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of a self-stretching exercise on the pressure threshold of myofascial trigger point. METHOD: We examined the changes of pressure threshold in 66 patients with myofascial trigger points before and after a self-stretching exercise of shoulder girdle and also tested the visual analogue scale (VAS) of the subjective pain intensity. The self-stretching exercise of shoulder girdle includes a stretching exercise of four muscles in shoulder girdle simultaneously, including upper trapezius, levator scapulae, infraspinatus, rhomboideus major and minor, which is followed by 1) a sitting position, relaxed, 2) lateral bending of neck to contralateral side, 3) forward and downward stretching of ipsilateral arm with protrusion of scapula and internal rotation of arm maximally to the contralateral foot. Each stretching motion is maintained for 30 seconds. RESULTS: The results of the patients experiencing unilateral or bilateral myofascial neck and shoulder pain showed that the pressure threshold of trigger point increased in response to the self-stretching exercise as assessed by a pressure algometer. Also visual analogue scale (VAS) decreased in response to the self-stretching exercise. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the self-stretching exercise of shoulder girdle is an effective method for the simultaneous stretching of upper trapezius, levator scapulae, infraspinatus, rhomboideus major and minor.