Objective:The purpose of this study was to compare walking speed and balance abilities according to various taping methodsin patients with stroke. Design: Cross-sectional study Methods: Twenty patients with stroke who were hospitalized at a rehabilitation hospital were allotted to the either the talus stabilization, Kinesio or sham taping, or barefoot conditions by drawing lots. Assessment tools used were the Functional Reach Test(FRT), Timed Up and Go test(TUG), One-Legged Stance Test (OLST), and the 10-Meter Walk Test(10MWT).After each test was measured three times, the mean values of each test was used for analysis. Results: Significant results were observed with thetalus stabilization and Kinesio taping groupcompared to the barefoot and sham taping method for theFRT,TUG, the OLST, and the 10MWT(p<0.05). Also, significant differences in the resultswere seen in the OLST, TUG, and the 10MWTwith the talus taping compared to the Kinesio taping method(p<0.05). Conclusions:The use oftalus stabilization taping applied to the ankle of patients with stroke was more effective for balance and walking ability improvement than Kinesio taping through the correction of an abnormal position of the talus.It is considered that these methods of taping can be applied effectively in the clinic.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the application of abdominal brace techniques on muscle activity of the trunk and lower extremities when walking. Design: Cross-sectional study Methods: This study was conducted on 26 healthy adults in their 20s, and the subjects performed two conditions in random order: walking with the abdominal bracing technique and walking in an abdominal relaxation state (normal gait). Muscle activity was measured on the dominant side of all subjects using surface electromyography, and the attachment sites were the erector spinae, external oblique, internal oblique, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis oblique muscles. Each condition was measured three times to calculate and analyze the average value. Results: When walking using the abdominal brace technique, the muscle activity of the erector spinae, external oblique, internal oblique, and vastus lateralis increased significantly (p＜0.05), and the muscle activity of the vastus medialis increased as well but was not significant. Conclusions:The results of this study indicate that it is possible to be used as an effective guide to increasing the muscle activity and stability of the trunk and lower extremities through the application of the abdominal bracing technique during walking.

Background. Post-burn hypertrophic scars commonly occur after burns. Studies that compare dermal substitutes with other treatment methods are insufficient. The purpose was to analyze the histopathological differences in hypertrophic burn scars after Matriderm®+split-thickness skin graft (STSG) and compare with AlloDerm®+STSG, STSG, full-thickness skin graft (FTSG), and normal skin. Methods. Samples of unburned, normal skin and deep 2nd or 3rd degree burns were obtained from patients who experienced a burn injury in the past to at least 6 months before biopsy, which was performed between 2011 and 2012. All subjects received >6 months of treatment before the biopsy. Intervention groups were normal (63), STSG (28), FTSG (6), Matriderm® (11), and AlloDerm® (18). Immunohistochemical analyses of elastin, collagen I, collagen III, cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31), smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and laminin from scar and control tissues were performed and compared. Results. α-SMA vascular quantity and vessel width, stromal CD31, and basement membrane laminin expression were not significantly different between normal and intervention groups. Matriderm® group showed no significant difference in elastin, collagen III, stromal CD31 and α-SMA, CD31 vessel width, stromal α-SMA, vessel quantity and width, and laminin length compared to the normal group, meaning they were not significantly different from the normal skin traits. Conclusion. Dermal substitutes may be an optimal alternative to address the cosmetic and functional limitations posed by other treatment methods.