Evaluation of the effectiveness of the standard traditional Korean medicine-based health promotion program for disadvantaged children in South Korea.

Background: Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) is highly integrated with the modern health care system of South Korea and is actively used in the public health field. Since 2014, the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea has supported the development of standard models for TKM-based health promotion programs. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a standard TKM-based health promotion program for disadvantaged children.

Effects of arch-support orthoses on ground reaction forces and lower extremity kinematics related to running at various inclinations.

While foot orthoses are commonly used in running, little is known regarding biomechanical risk potentials during uphill running. This study investigated the effects of arch-support orthoses on kinetic and kinematic variables when running at different inclinations. Sixteen male participants ran at different inclinations (0°, 3° and 6°) when wearing arch-support and flat orthoses on an instrumented treadmill.

The effects of downhill slope on kinematics and kinetics of the lower extremity joints during running.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate how lower extremity kinematics and kinetics change when running downhill.

Methods: Fifteen male recreational runners ran on an instrumented treadmill with three different slope conditions [level (0°), moderate (-6°), and steep (-9°)] at a controlled speed of 3.2 m/s.

Evaluation of Outcomes of the Busan Community-based Palliative Care Project in Korea.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of a community-based palliative care project conducted in Busan city, Korea, from 2013 to 2015.

Methods: We selected four outcome indices based on the project's outcomes derived from a logic model and used a longitudinal and cross-sectional comparative design approach depending on the outcome index.

Results: The utilization rate of palliative care increased from 9.

Understanding the impact loading characteristics of a badminton lunge among badminton players.

Background: The rapid and repetitive badminton lunges would produce strenuous impact loading on the lower extremities of players and these loading are thought to be the contributing factors of chronic knee injuries. This study examined the impact loading characteristics in various groups of badminton athletes performing extreme lunges.

Methods: Fifty-two participants classified into male skilled, female skilled, male unskilled, and female unskilled groups performed badminton lunge with their maximum-effort.

Comparison of Proprioceptive Training and Muscular Strength Training to Improve Balance Ability of Taekwondo Poomsae Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trials.

Maintaining balance while performing "Hakdariseogi" in Taekwondo, which involves standing on one leg, is a critical aspect of the Poomsae competition. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of proprioceptive training and lower-limb muscular strength training on the balance of Taekwondo Poomsae athletes over a 6-week period. Thirty Taekwondo Poomsae athletes were randomly assigned to three groups, namely, a proprioception training group, a lower-limb muscular strength training group, and a control group.

Kinetics and perception of basketball landing in various heights and footwear cushioning.

Background: The previous studies on basketball landing have not shown a systematic agreement between landing impacts and midsole densities. One plausible reason is that the midsole densities alone used to represent the cushioning capability of a shoe seems over simplified. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of different landing heights and shoes of different cushioning performance on tibial shock, impact loading and knee kinematics of basketball players.

Do running speed and shoe cushioning influence impact loading and tibial shock in basketball players?

Background: Tibial stress fracture (TSF) is a common injury in basketball players. This condition has been associated with high tibial shock and impact loading, which can be affected by running speed, footwear condition, and footstrike pattern. However, these relationships were established in runners but not in basketball players, with very little research done on impact loading and speed.

Effects of forefoot bending stiffness of badminton shoes on agility, comfort perception and lower leg kinematics during typical badminton movements.

This study investigated whether an increase in the forefoot bending stiffness of a badminton shoe would positively affect agility, comfort and biomechanical variables during badminton-specific movements. Three shoe conditions with identical shoe upper and sole designs with different bending stiffness (Flexible, Regular and Stiff) were used. Elite male badminton players completed an agility test on a standard badminton court involving consecutive lunges in six directions, a comfort test performed by a pair of participants conducting a game-like practice trial and a biomechanics test involving a random assignment of consecutive right forward lunges.

Does shoe heel design influence ground reaction forces and knee moments during maximum lunges in elite and intermediate badminton players?

Background: Lunge is one frequently executed movement in badminton and involves a unique sagittal footstrike angle of more than 40 degrees at initial ground contact compared with other manoeuvres. This study examined if the shoe heel curvature design of a badminton shoe would influence shoe-ground kinematics, ground reaction forces, and knee moments during lunge.

Methods: Eleven elite and fifteen intermediate players performed five left-forward maximum lunge trials with Rounded Heel Shoe (RHS), Flattened Heel Shoe (FHS), and Standard Heel Shoes (SHS).

Dynamically adjustable foot-ground contact model to estimate ground reaction force during walking and running.

Human dynamic models have been used to estimate joint kinetics during various activities. Kinetics estimation is in demand in sports and clinical applications where data on external forces, such as the ground reaction force (GRF), are not available. The purpose of this study was to estimate the GRF during gait by utilizing distance- and velocity-dependent force models between the foot and ground in an inverse-dynamics-based optimization.

Medical practices and attitudes of dual-licensed medical doctors in Korea.

Unique dual medical system in Korea has resulted in the emergence of dual-licensed medical doctors (DLMDs) who have both traditional Korean medicine (KM) and Western medicine (WM) licenses. There have been few studies on DLMDs in spite of their growing number and importance within the medical system. We surveyed the current status and attitudes of DLMD to assess their role in integrative medicine.