Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is an age-dependent disease dominantly affected by mechanical loading. Balancing the forces acting on the medial knee compartment has been the focus of KOA interventions. This pilot study investigated the effects of functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the biceps femoris and lateral gastrocnemius on reducing peak knee adduction moment (pKAM) in healthy adults and individuals with medial KOA while stepping on an instrumented elliptical system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Modifying foot progression angle (FPA), the angle between the line from the heel to the second metatarsal head and the line of progression, can reduce peak knee adduction moment (pKAM). However, determining the optimal FPA that minimizes pKAM without inducing unnatural walking patterns can be challenging. This study investigated the FPA-pKAM relationship using a robotic stepping trainer to assess the feasibility of determining the optimal FPA based on this relationship.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDamage in the corticospinal system following stroke produces imbalance between flexors and extensors in the upper extremity, eventually leading to flexion-favored postures. The substitution of alternative tracts for the damaged corticospinal tract is known to excessively activate flexors of the fingers while the fingers are voluntarily being extended. Here, we questioned whether the cortical source or/and neural pathways of the flexors and extensors of the fingers are coupled and what factor of impairment influences finger movement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile stroke survivors with moderate or mild impairment are typically able to open their hand at will, those with severe impairment cannot. Abnormal synergies govern the arm and hand in stoke survivors with severe impairment, so hand opening, which is required to overcome the working synergy, is an extremely difficult task for them to achieve. It is universally accepted that alternative tracts including the cortico-reticulospinal tract (CRST), employed in the case that the corticospinal tract (CST) is damaged by stroke, brings about such abnormal synergies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is necessary to control contact force through modulation of joint stiffness in addition to the position of our limb when manipulating an object. This is achieved by contracting the agonist muscles in an appropriate magnitude, as well as, balancing it with contraction of the antagonist muscles. Here we develop a decoding technique that estimates both the position and torque of a joint of the limb in interaction with an environment based on activities of the agonist-antagonistic muscle pairs using electromyography in real time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The effects of diverse periodic interventions on trapezius muscle fatigue and activity during a full day of computer work were investigated.
Background: Musculoskeletal disorders, including trapezius myalgia, may be associated with repeated exposure to prolonged low-level activity, even during light upper-extremity tasks including computer work.
Methods: Thirty healthy adults participated in a study that simulated two 6-hour workdays of computer work.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther
January 2018
Objective: This study aimed to compare neck extensor muscle thickness, thickness changes, and strength between participants with forward head posture (FHP) and controls with normal head posture (NHP).
Methods: Twenty college students with FHP (mean age 21.30 ± 2.
Background: Disturbance in neck muscle function is a well-known complication of chronic nonspecific neck pain (CNNP). It is, however, unclear which muscles are more susceptible to functional impairment in patients with CNNP during upper limb tasks.
Objectives: To compare ultrasonographic changes in dorsal neck muscles thickness in patients with CNNP and asymptomatic controls while they performed a light load upper-limb movement.