Effects of insoles contact on static balance.

[Purpose] This study examined the effect of the degree of the contact area between the insoles and soles on static balance. [Subjects and Methods] Thirteen healthy male and female adults voluntarily participated. All of the subjects wore three different types of insoles (no orthotic insole, partial contact, full contact) in the present experiment. The subjects were instructed to place both feet parallel to each other and maintain static balance for 30 seconds. Center of pressure parameters (range, total distance, and mean velocity) were analyzed. [Results] The results show that the anteroposterior range and mediolateral (ML) total distance and velocity decreased when orthotic insoles with partial contact or full contact were used in comparison to when a flat insole (no orthotic insole) was used. Also, the ML range and total distance were lower with full contact than in the other two conditions. These results indicate that static balance improves as the degree of contact between the soles and insoles increases. [Conclusion] The results of this study suggests that using insoles with increased sole contact area would improve static balance ability.

The effects of kinesiology taping therapy on degenerative knee arthritis patients' pain, function, and joint range of motion.

[Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of kinesiology taping therapy on degenerative knee arthritis patients' pain, function, and joint range of motion. [Subjects] To conduct the experiment in the present study, 30 patients with degenerative knee arthritis were divided into a control group (the conservative treatment group) of 15 patients, who received conservative physical therapy, and an experimental group (the kinesiology taping group) of 15 patients, who received kinesiology taping therapy. [Methods] All patients received treatment three times per week for four weeks. The kinesiology taping group had elastic tapes applied to the hamstring muscles, anterior tibialis, quadriceps femoris, and gastrocnemius. The range of motion was measured using joint goniometers, pain was measured using visual analog scales, and functional evaluation was conducted using the Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. [Results] In intragroup comparisons of the kinesiology taping group and the conservative treatment group, the visual analog scale and Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index scores significantly decreased, and the range of motion increased more than significantly. In intergroup comparisons, the kinesiology taping group showed significantly lower visual analog scale and Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index scores and significantly larger ranges of motion than the conservative treatment group. [Conclusion] Kinesiology taping therapy is considered to be an effective nonsurgical intervention method for pain relief, daily living activities, and range of motion of degenerative knee arthritis patients.

The effects of finger extension on shoulder muscle activity.

[Purpose] This study aims to examine the effects of the extension of the fingers (distal upper limb) on the activity of the shoulder muscles (proximal upper limb). [Subjects and Methods] This study involved 14 healthy male adults with no musculoskeletal disorder or pain related to the shoulders and hands. The subjects in a sitting posture abducted the angle of the shoulder joints at 60° and had their palms in the front direction. Electromyography (EMG) was comparatively analyzed to look at the activities of the infraspinatus (IS) and rhomboid major (RM) when the fingers were extended and relaxed. [Results] The activity of the IS was statistically significantly higher when the fingers were extended than when they were relaxed. [Conclusion] According to the result of this study, finger extension is considered to affect the muscles for connected shoulder joint stability.

The effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on frozen shoulder patients' pain and functions.

[Purpose] The present study was conducted to examine the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on frozen shoulder patients' pain and functions. [Subjects] In the present study, 30 frozen shoulder patients were divided into two groups: an extracorporeal shock wave therapy group of 15 patients and a conservative physical therapy group of 15 patients. [Methods] Two times per week for six weeks, the extracorporeal shock wave therapy group underwent extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and the conservative physical therapy group underwent general physical therapy. Visual analog scales were used to measure frozen shoulder patients' pain, and patient-specific functional scales were used to evaluate the degree of functional disorders. [Results] In intra-group comparisons, the two groups showed significant decreases in terms of visual analog scales and patient-specific functional scales, although the extracorporeal shock wave therapy group showed significantly lower scores than the conservative physical therapy group. [Conclusion] Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is considered an effective intervention for improving frozen shoulder patients' pain and functions.

Effects of external focus of attention on balance: a short review.

[Purpose] The present study reviewed studies that examined the effects of attentional focus on balance. [Methods] Keywords such as "attentional", "focus", and "balance" were used to find relevant research papers in PubMed (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed). Forty-five papers were found, and 18 of them were used for this study, excluding review papers and papers irrelevant to the topic of this study. [Results] Among the papers used for the review, the number of papers in which external focus produced effective outcomes was 15 (83.3%). The number of papers in which both external and internal focus produced effective outcomes was 2 (11.1%). The number of paper in which no instruction about attentional focus was effective was 1 (5.5%), and the number of papers in which internal focus was effective was zero. [Conclusion] This short review suggests clinical implications about how physical therapists can use attentional focus for balance rehabilitation of patients. Instructions about external focus of attention can generally be useful as a method to improve posture and balance control. Furthermore, the present reviews indicates that external focus of attention would be more useful in a rehabilitation stage in which the difficulty level of balance performance is gradually increased.

Types of parvalbumin-containing retinotectal ganglion cells in mouse.

The calcium-binding protein parvalbumin (PV) occurs in the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) of various vertebrate species. In the present study, we aimed to identify the types of PV-containing RGCs that project to the superior colliculus (SC) in the mouse. We injected retrograde tracer dextran into the mouse SC to label RGCs. PV-containing RGCs were first identified by immunocytochemistry and then neurons double-labeled with dextran and PV were iontophoretically injected with a lipophilic dye, DiI. Subsequently, confocal microscopy was used to characterize the morphologic classification of the PV-immunoreactive (IR) retinotectal ganglion cells on the basis of dendritic field size, branching pattern, and stratification within the inner plexiform layer. Among the 8 different types of PV-containing RGCs in the mouse retina, we found all 8 types of RGCs projecting to the SC. The RGCs were heterogeneous in morphology. The combined approach of using tracer injection and a single cell injection after immunocytochemistry on a particular protein will provide valuable data to further understand the functional features of the RGCs which constitute the retinotectal pathway.