Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics
Online ISSN : 1884-0566
Print ISSN : 0910-4720
ISSN-L : 0910-4720
Volume 32, Issue 4
Displaying 1-19 of 19 articles from this issue
  • Kensuke IWAOKA
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 216-219
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
  • Tatsuru IBUSUKI, Toshihito MITSUI, Sumimasa IKEBE, Fumihiro TAJIMA
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 220-225
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Since the Paralympic Games have brought the ability of athletes with impairments to compete in sports, each International federation is obliged by the International Paralympic Committee (hereinafter IPC) to introduce and follow the classification system for fair competitions. The classification system has enabled us to identify who is eligible to participate in Paralympic Sports and how athletes are fairly grouped by the degree of their impairments to lead to victory for the best performer in each group. Along with the Anti-Doping system, the classification system has been introduced for fair competitions and has required athletes and coaches to cooperate for fair classification. At the early stage, on the ground that classification was simply done based on medical doctors’ diagnosis, it did not fully take their performance into consideration. However, from the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, a functional classification system had been agreed upon in terms of athletes’ performances. The IPC has identified ‘Eligible Impairment Types’, which clarify the groups of limitations of functions for competitions.

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  • Sumimasa IKEBE
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 226-232
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
  • Kaori TACHIBANA
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 233-236
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
  • Yoshihiro NAKAZAWA, Takeo MARUYAMA, Akira SHIONOYA
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 237-241
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    This paper introduces the history and the level of competitiveness in wheelchair tennis in Japan, and explains the features of wheelchair tennis and sporting wheelchairs for tennis. Around the world, the competitiveness of wheelchair tennis has been achieving a higher level, and activities as athletes are required for maintaining this high level performance. At the same time, it should be remembered that wheelchair tennis can be delightful for all players and should be also promoted for rehabilitation.

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  • Kei MIYAMA, Hiroyuki MISAKA, Takafumi MIYAMA
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 242-248
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Wheelchair Rugby was invented in 1977 in Canada for quadriplegic athletes. It was recognized as a medal sport for the first time at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. It has become popular in more than 40 countries now. The Japanese National team is expected to win a medal in the upcoming 2016 Rio Paralympics. In this paper, some abridged rules of wheelchair rugby and the design of a sports-specific wheelchair are shown. The wheelchairs are customized to fit individual handicaps. Some ingenuity is also shown. Adhesive spoke guards are used to spin the wheel for an athlete who has weak grip power. The wheelchair is equipped with a bumper to stop an opponent, or wings not to be caught by a bumper. Fine adjustment is required for the seat position and the height of safety casters against overturning. A lot of equipment is designed in detail to satisfy individual athlete needs. The experimental results of impact load on the wheelchair by a collision attack in games are also shown. The speed of the wheelchair is about 3 to 4m/sec. The impulse comes from the triangular force shape of 3.4 msec’s duration. The impulsive force comes from 80 to 85% of momentum. The impact load is about 30 kN per 3m/sec attack.

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  • Koichi MINAMI
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 249-252
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
  • Masataka KATAOKA, Kuniharu OKUDA
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 253-256
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Boccia is a Paralympic medal sport that has been devised in Europe so that the severely disabled such as those with cerebral palsy, cervical spinal cord injury and muscular dystrophy can participate. Players throw a colored ball (6 red balls or 6 blue balls) close to the target which is a white ball called a jack and compete for a score. At the Paralympic Games, athletes with the most severe disabilities can join the competition, which involves various devices in the classification and competition equipment. In this article, we divided the classification of boccia and equipment used by athletes.

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  • Yoshiko IMAGAWA
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 257-259
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
  • Tetsuhiko SAKAMITSU, Kai USHIO
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 260-264
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
  • Masamitsu TOMIKAWA
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 265-269
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    The Paratriathlon debuts in the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The term “Paratriathlon” was officially used in 2009. Since then the competition rules were reviewed such as the race distance being changed from the standard distance to the sprint distance, and the sport has been rapidly spread worldwide. Research on the classification system also proceeded, and the current 5 sport classes were set for the athletes with their impairments in 2014. There are adaptive equipment and other race equipment whose use is accepted by each class and each paratriathlete. Research and development of that equipment will certainly contribute to enhance their performances. Based on consideration from the perspective as a combined sport as well as knowledge obtained from each of the 3 sports (swimming, cycling, running), further studies are expected on the optimum adjustment of the equipment.

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  • Shinsuke IMAOKA, Koji SATO
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 270-273
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    In patients with post-stroke hemiparesis who were admitted to the convalescent rehabilitation ward and had a knee ankle foot orthosis (KAFO) fabricated, we investigated the influence of the period from stroke onset to KAFO fabrication (fabrication period) on physical function and ADL capability. In this cross-sectional study, the association of fabrication period with physical function and ADL capability, and the factors determining practical gait together with their cutoff values were analyzed. A moderate correlation was observed between fabrication period and the Functional Balance Scale (FBS) score at discharge, the neck-trunk-pelvis motor function stage at discharge, the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score at discharge, as well as the FIM score improvement rate. In addition, FBS score at discharge and fabrication period were identified as factors determining practical gait, with cutoff values of 28.3 for FBS score at discharge and 60.5 days for fabrication period. These findings indicate that the fabrication period is an important factor that influences physical function and ADL capability.

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  • Shinsuke SATO, Takatsugu OKAMOTO, Naojiro TANAKA, Takumi WATANABE, Shi ...
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 274-277
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    In our hospital, follow-up after an orthosis has been made is also conducted by team care consisting mainly of a medical doctor, physiotherapist and prosthetist/orthotist (PO). This study was a retrospective review of medical records comparing the differences between 54 inpatients who received follow-up examinations at an orthosis clinic during hospitalization in our convalescent rehabilitation ward (convalescent phase group) and 47 outpatients who received examinations at an orthosis clinic in the chronic phase during the same period (chronic phase group). Alterations by the orthosis clinic were classified into “repair”, “correction of misfit”, “correction of foot part”, “adjustment”, and “no change”, and were compared between the two groups. In the convalescent phase group, the major alterations were “correction of foot part” and “adjustment”, and were made for the purpose of gait improvement. In the chronic phase group, the alterations shifted to “repair” and “correction of misfit”. These findings indicated that the opportunities for interventions provided by PO increased in the chronic phase. Currently, however, interventions are generally not adequately conducted, which is an issue to be addressed.

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  • Keisuke KON, Takumi INO, Hirokazu HARUNA, Shingo SHIMIZU, Takeshi TSUR ...
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 278-281
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Functional knee braces have been widely (sometimes) used for sports or highly demanding activities in patients with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency. Despite common prescription of the functional knee brace, the mechanism of this action is not clearly understood. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of functional knee braces on muscle activity during lunge motion. Eleven healthy subjects (all male) participated in this study. Electromyography (EMG) of the quadriceps muscle was recorded during lunge motion with and without a custom functional knee brace. EMG frequency analysis was performed in a period of concentric contraction phase and eccentric contraction phase during the lunge. The results of this study showed a decreased high frequency band in the electromyogram during use of the knee brace or an elastic band. Therefore, the inhibition of the fast muscle fibers was thought to a possible reason for muscle atrophy with the knee brace.

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  • Masahide ENDO, Sechi HIGASHI, Masashi HASHIMOTO, Yoshikazu INO
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 282-284
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Because early ambulation training using a brace has been recommended in 2015 stroke treatment guidelines, it is necessary to prescribe a lower limb brace early. However, the patient’s physical function changes after the formulation, since sometimes brace is incompatible, periodic follow-up. Our hospital conducts brace rounds for in-patients, and for patients after discharge in order to prevent brace incompatibility by a window of the follow-up brace. In addition, our discharged patients do regular follow-up and information management of their lower limb brace by creating a brace notebook. Good results were obtained by instituting a follow-up system in our hospital.

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  • Osamu KASHIMOTO, Kazunori NISHIZIMA, Takanori AIKAWA, Sumie TSUTSUI
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 285-287
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    We analyzed the current state of use of lower-extremity prostheses across Japan by surveying new prosthesis prescriptions issued by the rehabilitation counseling centers for amputees. In total, 1,693 new prescriptions were made in 2010. Below-knee prostheses were the most frequent (1,025 items. 68.8% of patients), followed by above-knee prostheses (336, 22.0%). The male : female ratio was 3.2 : 1, and the mean patient age was 61.5±15.1 years. Among the patients investigated, 251 were employed (14.8%), whereas 901 were unemployed (53.2%), and the status of 541 was unknown (32.0%). Activity levels were high in 304 patients (18.0%), moderate in 556 patients (32.8%), low in 388 patients (22.9%), and unknown in 445 (26.3%). The prescribed-prosthesis prices correlated with patient age ; prostheses prescribed for the elderly were cheaper (p<0.01, R=-0.475). Expensive prostheses were prescribed for jobholders, who showed higher levels of activity (p<0.01). Our results suggest that prescriptions for lower-extremity prostheses correspond with amputee sociodemographic profiles.

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  • Masumi IWABUCHI, Osamu SHIRADO
    2016 Volume 32 Issue 4 Pages 288-294
    Published: October 01, 2016
    Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2017
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    In the diagnosis of spinal diseases, we should consider that imaging inspections are means to confirm a disease or a pathophysiological condition guessed at by an interview and physical examinations. We should also consider that various noises or artifacts can get into the images in the process of the reconstruction of digital signals in using current digital imaging systems. In addition, we have the risk of overestimating reconstructed images. Plain radiograph is suitable for evaluation of spinal alignment and spinal instability. X-ray CT is suitable for the depiction of a bone or an ossification. MRI is suitable for the depiction of soft tissue including the nervous system. Therefore, X-ray CT and MRI are complementary for the diagnosis of spinal diseases. Orthosis therapy has to be approximately prescribed for diseases and pathophysiological conditions that are diagnosed through physical examination and imaging inspection.

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