[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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A handbike is a vehicle resembling a tricycle with a propelling mechanism similar to that of a bicycle, which is propelled forward by rotating the crank shaft with both hands. It is utilized especially in sports or for recreational purposes, where its usage is highly anticipated as a means for health management and movement for persons with physical disabilities. In addition, the appearance of handbikes in sporting competition events such as the Paralympics has increased significantly, whereby its widespread usage is called for in enhancing competitions. In this paper, the writer reports on the rules, specifications, and such issues related to handbike competition and its trends.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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Among the articulated ankle foot orthoses (AFO) as a walking aid for persons with hemiplegia, plantar flexion restricting AFO and plantar flexion braking AFO are frequently prescribed. To examine the effect of these AFO on gait, we conducted electromyographic and kinematic analyses on 15 persons with moderate hemiplegia. Gait patterns were classified based on the knee joint movement during early stance and the ankle joint angle during stance phase. The anterior tibial muscle and gastrocnemius muscle strengths, walking speed, cadence, stride length, stride of non-paralytic side, and the greatest dorsiflexion angle of the ankle joint were compared between using the plantar flexion restricting AFO and using the plantar flexion braking AFO. No significant differences in many parameters evaluated were observed between plantar flexion restricting AFO and plantar flexion braking AFO. However, for the gait pattern in which the knee joint extends during stance phase, in hemiplegic subjects with insufficient dorsiflexion angle during stance phase or showing plantar flexion throughout a gait cycle, the greatest dorsiflexion angle of the ankle joint increased when a plantar flexion restricting AFO was used. On the other hand, in hemiplegic subjects showing plantar flexion to dorsiflexion movements during stance phase as in healthy persons, the greatest dorsiflexion angle increased when a plantar flexion braking AFO was used. In hemiplegic subjects with a gait pattern in which the knee joint flexes during stance phase, all the parameters evaluated showed no significant differences, indicating that the difference in the plantar flexion restriction and plantar flexion braking functions of AFO had no effect on gait in hemiplegic persons.

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In recent years, polio survivors often suffer new symptoms : post- polio syndrome (PPS). Pain, one of the criteria in PPS diagnosis, is a tough problem to handle. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pain in polio survivors. We also investigated the difference of the pain prevalence in terms of different sites and the use of lower extremity orthosis. The subjects were 70 polio survivors who were ambulatory without canes or crutches. Fifty-two patients (74.3%) had the symptom of pain. The prevalence rate of pain was significantly higher in the lower extremities than the upper extremities, and in the less affected side than in the more affected side (p<0.05). In the less affected side, the prevalence rates were significantly higher in the knee joint and lower leg (p<0.05). In persons with the use of lower extremity orthoses, the prevalence rates were significantly lower in the knee joint and lower leg on the bad side (p<0.05). In conclusion, the symptom of pain is developed more frequently in distal parts of less affected extremities. In persons with the use of lower extremity orthoses, the prevalence rates were lower in the distal lower extremity on the bad side. The symptom of pain should be approached and treated comprehensively to improve the problem.

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In a previous research, the authors designed an articulated plastic ankle foot orthosis with a new mechanism taking into consideration both function and appearance. In the present study, the authors constructed the newly designed orthosis (novel orthosis) and a plastic ankle foot orthosis using a combination of Tamarack ankle joint and Gait Solution ankle joint (Gait Solution orthosis), and performed gait evaluations in a patient with hemiplegia following stroke. Compared with the Gait Solution orthosis, the novel orthosis showed greater dorsiflexion moment (resistance during dorsiflexion), which reduced plantar flexion braking during mid-stance resulting in a significant increase in walking speed. Although the ankle joint of the novel orthosis was sometimes interfered by the stair nose when descending a staircase, no risk of falling by being caught by the stair nose was observed in the present study, because the ankle joint located posteriorly forms a gentle tapering shape toward the upper direction.

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[in Japanese]

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