[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of scapula movement on neck alignment and the muscles in patients with forward head posture, who has the structural changes around the neck caused from the forward head posture, when scapular stabilization exercise is applied. [Subjects and Methods] A sample of 30 patients with forward head posture were recruited and participated in an intervention for 30 minutes a day, three times per week for 4 weeks. Fifteen patients were assigned to the scapular stabilization exercise group and the remaining 15 were assigned to the neck stabilization exercise group. Before the intervention, the craniovertebral angle (CVA), cranial rotation angle (CRA), and muscle activity of the muscles around the neck were measured. Four weeks later, these 3 factors were re-measured and analyzed. [Results] Within-group changes in CVA and CRA were observed in both groups and were statistically significant. Only the CVA group had a statistically significant between-group differences. Within-group changes in muscular activity were significant differences in all groups. Between groups, the lower back trapezius and serratus anterior showed statistically significant differences. [Conclusion] Scapular stabilization brought about improvement in posture through activation of the neck muscles, the lower trapezius, and the serratus anterior. Therefore, the intervention has a positive effect on neck alignment by reducing the compensatory movements of the muscles involved in forward head posture. Structural changes are observed.

[Purpose] This study investigated how types of lumbosacral orthoses applied to patients with chronic lumbar pain affect postural control and low back pain. [Subjects and Methods] Ten subjects were randomly selected and allocated to each a group wearing soft lumbosacral orthoses and a group wearing rigid lumbosacral orthoses. They wore the lumbosacral orthoses for 4 weeks. Pain index and postural control were measured on the first day of wearing lumbosacral orthoses and 4 weeks later. Pain index was evaluated using a visual analogue scale, and postural control was measured using a Balance measurement system. The measurements examined included the overall balance index, anteroposterior balance index, and mediolateral balance index. [Results] There were statistically meaningful within-group differences in all variables, the visual analogue scale, overall balance index, anteroposterior balance index, and mediolateral balance index, in the group wearing soft lumbosacral orthoses. There were meaningful differences in visual analogue scale, overall balance index, and mediolateral balance index in the group wearing rigid lumbosacral orthoses. Furthermore, there was a meaningful difference in anteroposterior balance index between the group wearing soft lumbosacral orthoses and the group wearing rigid lumbosacral orthoses. [Conclusion] The results of the present study showed that wearing soft lumbosacral orthoses was more effective than wearing rigid lumbosacral orthoses.

The Korean Society of Physical Therapy (KSPT) engages and inspires an international leadership in Asia on issues associated with physical therapy. As the leading journal for research in physical therapy and other fields related to rehabilitation science, KSPT publishes highly qualified scientific topic for clinicians and researchers, with the expressed purpose of improving therapeutic approaches for health and life quality of human. The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy (J Kor Phys Ther) is pubilished bimonthly from 1989, and it is open access journal, consequently, articles are free for all users to read and use. This journal is indexed in KCI (http://kci.go.kr), ScienceCentral (http://e-sciencecentral.org), Google Scholar (http:// scholar.google.com) and CrossRef (http://crossref.org). KSPT invites research papers and a limited number of reviews in the field of musculoskeletal, neurological, pediatric, geriatric, eletrophysiologic physical therapy. Although special research areas are emphasized for publication, articles dealing with other rehabilitation science will also be welcomed.

[Purpose] Most studies on bodyblade exercise have examined changes in muscle activities in the trunk and shoulders according to the hand position or direction while in a standing position. The present study compared and examined the changes in muscle activities around the shoulders and trunk according to different bodyblade lifting methods during stabilization exercise in a quadruped position. [Subjects and Methods] The present study was conducted on 20 healthy males. The following exercise four types were performed with the bodyblade held by flexing the dominant arm at 180° in a quadruped position. The muscle activity and the ratio of muscle activity were measured. [Results] The SA and IO, EO muscles showed significant differences. Moreover, the SA/UT activity ratio showed significant differences according to the type of exercise. The Tukey’s post hoc test results were as follows: for the SA muscle, exercise types 4, 2 were more effective than types 1, 3: and for the IO muscle, types 1, 2 were more effective than types 3, 4. [Conclusion] The present study showed that type 2 scapular stabilization exercise (crossed leg lifting with the hand raised above the head on a vertical plane) showed selective and positive effects on trunk muscle strengthening and stabilization. In future, additional studies are required to design effective exercise programs for pain management and improvement of muscle activities in patients with complaints of shoulder pain due to scapular winging.

[Purpose] This study investigated the effect on activities, shoulder muscle fatigue, upper limb disability of two exercise types performed by patients in the post- immobilization period of rotator cuff repair. [Subjects and Methods] The intervention program was performed by 20 patients from 6 weeks after rotator cuff repair. Ten subjects each were randomly allocated to a group performing open kinetic chain exercise and a group preforming closed kinetic chain exercise. Muscle activity and median frequency were measured by using sEMG and the Upper Extremity Function Assessment before and after conducting the intervention and changes in the results were compared. [Results] There was a significant within group increases in the activities of the shoulder muscles, except for the posterior deltoid. The median power frequencies (MFD) of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus and anterior deltoid significantly increased in the open kinetic chain exercise group, but that of the posterior deltoid decreased. There were significant differences in the changes in the upper limb disability scores of the two groups, in the shoulder muscle activities, except for that of the posterior deltoid, in the comparison of the change in the muscle activities of the two groups, and in the MDFs of all shoulder muscles. [Conclusion] The Median power frequencies of all these muscles after closed kinetic chain exercise increased indicating that muscle fatigue decreased. Therefore, research into exercise programs using closed kinetic chain exercises will be needed to establish exercise methods for reducing muscle fatigue.