Effects of Kinesio taping and exercise on forward head posture.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effects of Kinesio taping and therapeutic exercise on correcting forward head posture. OBJECTIVE: To compare Kinesio taping versus therapeutic exercise for forward head posture on static posture, dynamic mobility and functional outcomes. METHODS: Sixty subjects (31 women, 29 men) with forward head postures participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to either one of the three groups: (1) exercise group (n = 20), (2) taping group (n = 20), and (3) control groups (n = 20). The horizontal forward displacement (HFD) between ear lobe and acromion process, upper cervical and lower cervical angle (UCA, LCA), active range of motion (AROM) of cervical spine, and neck disability index (NDI) were measured before and after a 5-week intervention, and a 2-week follow-up. Data were analyzed by means of a mixed design repeated-measures ANOVA. RESULTS: Both taping and exercise groups showed significant improvements in HFD compared with the control group at post-treatment and follow-up. Compared with the control group, the exercise group exhibited significant improvements in the LCA and the side bending AROM at post-treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Both Kinesio taping and therapeutic exercise improve forward head posture after intervention and a 2-week follow-up. The effectiveness of therapeutic exercise is better than taping.

The relationships between foot arch volumes and dynamic plantar pressure during midstance of walking in preschool children.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between the foot arch volume measured from static positions and the plantar pressure distribution during walking. METHODS: A total of 27 children, two to six years of age, were included in this study. Measurements of static foot posture were obtained, including navicular height and foot arch volume in sitting and standing positions. Plantar pressure, force and contact areas under ten different regions of the foot were obtained during walking. RESULTS: The foot arch index was correlated (r = 0.32) with the pressure difference under the midfoot during the foot flat phase. The navicular heights and foot arch volumes in sitting and standing positions were correlated with the mean forces and pressures under the first (r = -0.296∼-0.355) and second metatarsals (r = -0.335∼-0.504) and midfoot (r = -0.331∼-0.496) during the stance phase of walking. The contact areas under the foot were correlated with the foot arch parameters, except for the area under the midfoot. CONCLUSIONS: The foot arch index measured in a static position could be a functional index to predict the dynamic foot functions when walking. The foot arch is a factor which will influence the pressure distribution under the foot. Children with a lower foot arch demonstrated higher mean pressure and force under the medial forefoot and midfoot, and lower contact areas under the foot, except for the midfoot region. Therefore, children with flatfoot may shift their body weight to a more medial foot position when walking, and could be at a higher risk of soft tissue injury in this area.

Electromyography activity of selected trunk muscles during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: Understanding trunk muscle activity during chest compression may improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training strategies of CPR or prevent low back pain. This study investigates the trunk muscle activity pattern of chest compression in health care providers to determine the pattern alternation during chest compression. METHODS: Thirty-one experienced health care providers performed CPR for 5 minutes at a frequency of 100 compressions per minute. An electromyography (EMG) system was used to record muscle activity in the first minute, the third minute, and the fifth minute. Electrodes were placed bilaterally over the pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, rectus abdominis, erector spinae, and gluteus maximus. We calculated the root mean square (RMS) value and maximal amplitude of the EMG activity, median frequency, and delivered force. RESULTS: The maximal amplitude of EMG of the pectoralis major, erector spinae, and rectus abdominis showed large muscle activity above 45% of maximal voluntary contraction under chest compression. There were no significant differences in the RMS value of one chest compression cycle (RMS100%) and median frequency for all muscles at the first, third, and fifth minutes. Only gluteus maximus showed significant imbalance. The EMG ratios (erector spinae/rectus abdominis; erector spinae/gluteus maximus) increased significantly over time. The delivered force, compression depth, and number of correct depth decreased significantly over time. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the muscle power training for the pectoralis major, erector spinae, and rectus abdominis could be helpful for health care providers. Keeping muscle activity balance of bilateral gluteus maximus and maintaining the same level of EMG ratios might be the keys to prevent low back pain while performing CPR.

Three-dimensional measurement of foot arch in preschool children.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of flexible flatfoot is high among preschool-aged children, but the effects of treatment are inconclusive due to the unclear definitions of normal flatfoot. To date, a universally accepted evaluation method of the foot arch in children has not been completely established. Our aims of this study were to establish a new method to evaluate the foot arch from a three dimensional perspective and to investigate the flexibility of the foot arch among children aged from two to six. METHODS: A total of 44 children aged from two to six years of age were put into five age groups in this study. The navicular height was measured with one leg standing, and both feet were scanned separately in both sitting and one leg standing positions to compute the foot arch volume. The arch volume index, which represents the ratio of the difference in volume between sitting and one leg standing positions to the volume when sitting was calculated to demonstrate the flexibility of the foot arch. The differences of measured parameters between each aged group were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: The arch volumes when sitting and standing were highly correlated with the navicular height. The navicular height ranged from 15.75 to 27 mm, the arch volume when sitting ranged from 6,223 to 11,630 mm3, and the arch volume when standing from 3,111 to 7,848 mm3 from two to six years of age. The arch volume index showed a declining trend as age increased. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to describe the foot arch with volume perspective in preschool-aged children. The foot arch volume was highly correlated with the navicular height. Research results show both navicular height index and arch volume index gradually increase with age from two to six. At the same time the arch also becomes rigid with age from two to six. These results could be applied for clinical evaluation of the foot arch and post-treatment evaluation.

Bone density changes around teeth during orthodontic treatment.

The objective of this study was to evaluate bone density changes around the teeth during orthodontic treatment by using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). CBCT was used to measure the bone densities around six teeth (both maxilla central incisors, lateral incisors, and canines) before and after 7 months of orthodontic treatment in eight patients. In addition, each root was divided into three portions (cervical, intermediate, and apical) to determine whether the bone density change varied with tooth level. The mean reduction in bone density around the measured teeth was 24% after orthodontic treatment. The bone density reduction around teeth was largest for the upper-right and upper-left central incisor (29% and 26%, respectively) and ranged from 20% to 23% for the other four teeth. The mean bone density reduction did not differ significantly between the cervical, portion, and apical portions of the teeth (26%, 22%, and 24%, respectively). CBCT is useful for evaluating bone density changes around teeth during orthodontic treatment. The bone density around the teeth reduced significantly after the application of orthodontic forces for 7 months.