A Survey on the Current Working Conditions and Job Satisfaction on Aquatic Therapy Performed by Physical Therapists

PURPOSE: This study assessed the current working conditions and job satisfaction on aquatic therapy performed by physical therapists in South Korea. METHODS: A total of 139 (managers: 53, staff: 86) physical therapists participated in this survey (90 questionnaires) and the data were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 Windows. RESULTS: The retention conditions of aquatic therapy facilitation was high in the rehabilitation centers (or disabled living facilities) and rehabilitation hospitals. On the other hand, there were regional variations. The physical therapists in this field were likely to have limitations or restrictions of professional aquatic therapy education. The subjects showed a tendency for a career interruption during their fifth working year. The overall job satisfaction on aquatic therapy of physical therapists was high (managers: 94.3%, staff: 95.3%, p=0.276), but the work intensity was higher than the other parts of physical therapy and the relative reward was comparatively low (managers: 60.3%, staff: 66.3%, p=0.865). CONCLUSION: Based on this study, the current working conditions regarding aquatic therapy by physical therapists were assessed. These results will help enhance aquatic therapy and/or in aquatic therapy facilitation.

Choice of Muscles for Extracting Consistent Motor Modules: The Effect of Trial-to-Trial Electromyography Repeatability / 医用生物力学

Objective To identify the effect of the repeatability of muscle activations on extraction of consistent motor modules across trials. Methods The activities of sixteen muscles in twelve subjects who consistently walked at a self-selected speed were recorded. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to identify inter-stride repeatability of muscle activities and motor modules. Based on the repeatability of muscle activation, three types of muscle sets were organized. Results The reliable set containing the muscles showed high ICC (>0.4), but the whole-body and mixed sets containing the muscles showed poor ICC (＜0.4). When motor modules were extracted from each set, the reliable set showed the highest repeatability of motor module extraction, but the whole-body and mixed sets presented significantly lower repeatability. Conclusions Greater repeatability of muscle activations result ed in consistent motor modules. Extraction of consistent motor modules was a critical issue, especially in real-time motion recognition based on muscle patterns.