Although several methods for evaluating the equilibrium in keeping upright position have been reported, there have been few reports on important factors for trunk equilibrium during sitting such as trunk ataxia of cerebellar lesion. The purpose of this study was to measure quantitatively trunk equilibrium by deflection of twice direction on the force platform in the postural regulability by comparing disequilibrium patients with healthy adults at the sitting position.
One hundred and thirty disequilibrium patients with various lesion levels of cerebellar, vestibular, and somatosensory participated into the study. Each examinee was objected to keep sitting and standing positions for 30 sec at both conditions with the eyes open and closed. The experimental postures consisted of the sitting position (continuous sitting on the original chair with their feet dangling without touching the floor) and the standing position (upright standing with their feet kept 15 cm apart). These data were calculated during stationary body sway at a sampling period of 50 ms, and the results of track length, sway area, root mean square of velocity, and sway frequency analysis by Fast Fourier Transform were then collected from each subject.
The results were as follows: 1) Compared with controls, disequilibrium patients exhibited larger values in every parameter for evaluating sitting body sway, especially in sway area. 2) There was a higher correlation between sitting and standing body sway in disequilibrium patients with cerebellar lesions than in those with vestibular or somatosensory lesions. 3) Patients with spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD) were classified according to their lesions, cerebellar and cerebellar-brainstem groups, and their body sway features (component of trunk equilibrium, frequency analysis, and visual compensatory adaptation) were studied.
From the results obtained, sitting body sway was confirmed much reliable and useful as standing body sway.

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To investigate the excitability of spinal motor neurons and evaluate neural and motor functions in patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD), we studied the relationship between the characteristic appearances of the H-reflex and F-wave and neurological signs. We examined the H-reflex and F-wave of the affected arm during muscle relaxation in 26 patients (12 males and 14 females) with hemiplegia caused by CVD. The mean age of the patients was 54.2 (± 13.2) years. H-reflex and F-wave with increased stimulus intensity after the median nerve stimulation at the wrist were recorded from the opponens pollicis muscle during rest on the affected side. Appearance of the H-reflex and F-wave with increased stimulus intensity was separated into four types as follows:
Type 1 : F-wave appeared with increased stimulus intensity, but there was no H-reflex.
Type 2 : H-reflex and F-wave both appeared with increased stimulus intensity, but the F-wave followed disappearance of the H-reflex with increased stimulus intensity.
Type 3 : H-reflex and F-wave both appeared with increased stimulus intensity, but the F-wave appeared during the H-reflex with increased stimulus intensity.
Type 4 : Only the H-reflex appeared with increased stimulus intensity, and there was no F-wave.
Neurological findings including muscle tone, tendon reflex and Brunnstrom motor function test (upper extremity and finger) were also evaluated. Findings on muscle tone and tendon reflex were classified into increased, normal and decreased. Those on Brunnstrom motor function test were classified into 4 groups (stages I・II, III・IV・V, VI).
Results were analyzed as follows; 1) the characteristic appearances of H-reflex and F-wave, and 2) the relationship between characteristic appearances of waves and neurological signs.
The characteristic appearances of the H-reflex and F-wave with severely increased muscle tone and increased tendon reflex were almost type 4. Those with moderately increased signs in these parameters demonstrated type 2 or 3. Those with slightly increased signs in these parameters demonstrated type 1 or 2. Those with normal findings were type 1. Those with decreased signs in these parameters showed type 1 or disappearance of the H-reflex and F-wave. The characteristic appearances of the H-reflex and F-wave were, generally speaking, related to the grade on Brunnstrom motor function test.
These findings suggest that the characteristic appearances of the H-reflex and F-wave reflect spinal motor function and can be used to evaluate the therapeutic effects of neurophysiological management on spinal motor excitability in patients with CVD.

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Twenty middle-advanced-aged subjects with chronic stiff shoulder or headache were massaged for the site of stiff shoulder only (group A) and on both the above site and the masseter region (group B) to examine the therapeutical effect via masticatory force, pain threshold and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Possible change in masticatory force was also examined between before and after consecutive 5 day-massage. As a result, 1) group B showed improvements in all items after massage, while group A showed no therapeutical difference between before and after massage, and 2) the change in masticatory force before and after consecutive 5 day-massage was increased significantly from day 3. The above results suggested massage of both the affected site and the masseter region may be necessary to make a symptomatic improvement in cases of chronic stiff shoulder and headache.

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This study was undertaken to determine the ameliorative effect of a daily exercise training program on structural alteration of the motor end plates (MEP) associated with mouse soleus muscle by hindlimb suspension. The mean post-synaptic area of junctional folds and clefts per nerve terminal exhibited to be increased on both the types I and If muscle fiber's MEP in hindlimb suspended muscle compared with controls whereas the type I fiber's mean post-synaptic area from the daily exercised muscle was similar to control. In addition to quantitative change, the hind-limb suspension induced various alterations in the fine structure of the MEP in both type I and type IF muscle fiber populations. Overall, the MEP from daily exercised muscles tended to contain fewer anomalies than these of hind-limb suspended muscles. The present results demonstrate that the muscle activity produces the maintenance of configuration of the MEP that enhance the neurotrophic factor.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of weight-bearing frequency in a week in prevention of disuse muscular atrophy.
Hindlimb suspension (HS) was used to produce muscular atrophy in Wistar rats (n=24). Weight-bearing (WB) was stationary ground support (1 hour/day). Groups were 1) HS only, 2) HS+WB (every other day), 3) HS+WB (everyday), and 4) control. After 2 weeks, right soleus muscle (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL) were weighed. Muscle ATPase histochemical staining, followed by morphometrical analysis, demonstrated that SOL responded more markedly to non-WB and WB than EDL. The muscle-to-body weight ratio and the percentage distribution of muscle fiber type in SOL were maintained by everyday WB. Muscular atrophy could not be prevented perfectly. But cross-sectional area in SOL indicated that it is possible to delay the progression of disuse muscular atrophy by WB (1 hour/day), and that everyday WB is more effective compared with every other day WB.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the motor development of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and prognosis factors of ambulation.
Ninety-two children with CP receiving physical therapy were divided into two groups; those who were able, and unable to ambulate. These two groups were followed retrospectively, and compared regarding motor development, gestational week, birth weight, starting age of physical therapy and development quotient (DQ).
As a result, children who were able to ambulate showed significantly earlier starting age of physical therapy and higher DQ, compared with children who were unable to ambulate.
In addition, children who were able to ambulate acquired every motor development index except hold-standing and cruising unsteadily on two feet at earlier age than children who were unable to ambulate. Ambulation rate of hemiplegics in ambulating group was 100%. Of children in ambulating group, 88% started to walk by age of 4 years.
The discriminant analysis revealed that possibility of ambulation among subject groups was related to their ability to sit independently.

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The purpose of this research was to investigate the reliability and acceptability of the exercise motive scale for persons in advanced age group. Subjects were institutionalized and non-institutionalized elder people aged 60 and over. As the result of this research, α coefficients of four subordinary scales, reliability index, were greater than 70%. It was found that the score of exercise motive scale for the group A, relatively active group, was higher than that for the group B, relatively inactive group, which suggest that the group A may have higher exercise motive than group B. The relationships between the exercise motive scale and the Life Satisfaction Index, ADL scale were statistically significant. Moreover, the high score group of the exercise motive scale showed higher leg strength and higher grip strength than the low score group. We concluded that these support the reliability and acceptability of the exercise motive scale.

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[in Japanese]

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In three cases of accessory neuroparalysis, the results of manual muscle testing (MMT) and the electrophysiological laboratory findings were comparatively examined. For trapezius MMT, all three cases showed almost normal muscle force for upper fibers, but for middle and lower fibers, showed decreases in muscle force and that to a remarkable extent for lower fibers. Needle EMG of three cases at the first examination showed low amplitude and low coherence for upper, middle and lower fibers. The MMT results and the needle EMG findings showed the highest coincidence for lower fibers.
The above results suggest that the most reliable evaluation of suspected accessory neuroparalysis to be evaluation of scapular depression and adduction, which is trapezius lower fiber MMT.

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