We assessed whether cane length and cane load affected medial and lateral force on the knee joint. Knee joint forces during walking were calculated from floor reaction forces and lower extremity alignment in 12 patients with medial-type osteoarthritis of the knee. Comparisons with walking without a cane showed that knee joint medial force decreased as the cane load increased. When the force on the cane was increased from 10xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx to 30xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx of body weight, medial force decreased from 90xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx to 65xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx of the force when walking without a cane. This reduction was unaffected by the length of the cane. No changes in lateral force were observed as a result of using a cane, nor was there any change in the rate of reduction of knee joint force by the cane when the femorotibial angle (FTA) was changed. It is important to take cane force into consideration when prescribing canes to protect the knee joint.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the most adequate measurement points of the quadriceps muscle for evaluating its atrophy. Forty patients suffering from knee derangement and 18 subjects as a control group were examined by measurement of maximum knee extension strength with Biodex and muscle thickness at the point of 5,10,15,20,and 25 cm above the patella with ultrasonography (US). As a result, there were significant correlations between muscle strength and muscular thickness at 10 and 15 cm above the patella, and there was also a significant correlation between muscle thickness and cross-sectional area at 10 cm above the patella. These results suggest that the most adequate points to measure atrophy of the quadriceps muscle with US may be at 10 and 15 cm above the patella.

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This study was performed to investigate the effect of vertical handrails on walk of patients with Parkinson's disease. An eye camera was used to evaluate the visual field area, and a 3-dimensional analyser was used to evaluate neck and trunk angles while movement. The following results were obtained. 1. The patients in Yahr III (p<0.02) and Yahr IV (p<0.05) groups showed significant width of visual field area. 2. The patients in Yahr IV groups also showed improvement of trunk angle (p<0.05). Improvement of gait may be caused by enlargement of the visual field, which improves the ability to predict danger and body imbalance.

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This study summed up dimensional information on osteoarthritis of the hip by using the principal component analysis with the aim of clarifying an obstacle image of osteoarthritis of the hip. Measurement items were (1) muscle strength of lower extremity, (2) ROM, (3) girth, (4) leg length, (5) muscle shortening, (6) X-rays evaluation, (7) pain in walking, (8) gait analysis, and (9) EMG power spectral analysis. As a result, the first principal components (Z1) included walking speed, walking pain, ROM, and muscle strength. The second principal component (Z2) was power spectral characteristic in gluteus medius (rise of MPF), and the third principal component (Z3) was a limp characteristic. Contribution ratios of Z1, Z2, and Z3 were approximately 40xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, 16xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, and 12xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, respectively. Cumulative contribution ratio was approximately 69xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, and approximately 70xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx of all quantities of information was absorbed. ADL ability of group 4 (Z1:excellent walk・ROM・muscle strength, Z2:fall of MPF) tended to be higher than that of group 1 (Z1:excellent walk・ROM・muscle strength, Z2:rise of MPF). These results indicated that EMG power spectral characteristic was recognized as a feature of the second principal component, suggesting the importance of EMG power spectral characteristic secondary to the obstacle factors such as walking speed, pain in walking, ROM, and muscle strength.

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The purposes of this study were to characterize the activity levels of thigh muscles during 12 patterns of PNF techniques of lower extremity and to determine the optimal patterns for each muscle. Nineteen volunteered healthy adults (6 men and 13 women, with the mean age of 23.4±4.8years) who have been understood the PNF patterns were involved in this study. Surface electromyography (Furusawa Labo) was performed and recorded by bipolar miniature silver-silver chloride electrodes, rectified filtered electromyograms (REFMG) obtained. Each PNF pattern was examined with maximum isometric contraction against the manual resistance in the middle range of each pattern. Normalized data (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxRFEMG) were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's multiple comparison. From the results obtained, it was revealed that the optimal patterns for VMO are the hip flexion, adduction, and external rotation with the knee extension or extending the knee, and hip extension, abduction, and internal rotation with the knee extension or extending the knee. The hip flexion, adduction, and external rotation with the extension or extending the knee patterns for VL and the patterns involving the hip flexion without relation with knee component for RF are optimal. Meanwhile, the hip extension component with knee extension or flexing the knee pattern is optimum for Hamstrings.

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The purposes of this study were to measure duration between burst of activity in leg muscles and heel contact of the affected legs during walking in patients with hip diseases, and to compare activity time with that of normal subjects. Subjects involved in this investigation were 10 patients with osteoarthritics of the hip (all female, mean age 42.5±8.3years, range 29 to 57), and 10 normal persons (all female, mean age 37.6±13.1 years, range 19 to 67). The foot switch signals, electromyography (EMG) activity of the gluteus medius (GM-EMG) and rectus femoris (RF-EMG) were recorded simultaneously during walking. Duration change from heel strike to burst of activity of GM-EMG (DAGM) and RF-EMG (DARF) were measured in the stance phase. The DAGM and DARF of the patients were slower than those of normal subjects (t=4.03, p<.001; t=2.39, p<.05). Significant correlation was found between DAGM and DARF in normal subjects (r=.72, p<.05), but no significant correlation was found between DAGM and DARF in normal subjects (r=.72, p<.05), but no significant correlation was found between DAGM and DARF in the patients (r=.213). These results suggest that pre-activity of DAGM in patients is more delayed than that of normal people, and the muscle does not coordinate with each other during walking cycle in the patients with hip diseases.

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The purposes of this study were to assess the effect of six changes in isokinetic velocity between 20 and 120 cm/sec on bilateral leg-press muscle stregth and to confirm the degree of conformity to isokinetic velocity when isokinetic velocity and maximum isokinetic bilateral leg-press muscle strength set with an isokinetic leg extension strength apparatus were attained. The subjects were seven healthy males. The results showed that maximal bilateral leg-press muscle strength decreased as setting up isokinetic velocity increased. When the velocities set and maximal isokinetic bilateral leg strength were attained, the differences in velocity were found to be in the 5-8xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx range at 20, 40 and 60 cm/sec, and the standard deviations were also small. The above findings showed that in general the strength-velocity relationship is also valid as a qualitative characteristic for bilateral leg-press, which is a form of gross muscle strength. Moreover, if measured at set velocities of 20, 40 and 60 cm/sec, the error in terms of the actual measured velocities is small, suggesting that whenever the maximal isokinetic bilateral leg-press muscle strength is set within this range of velocities, the values conform to the set velocity.

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Twenty-one patients (mean age 62.5 years) with cerebral apoplectic hemiplegia participated in the present study. They could all walk indoors without assistance and Brunnstrom stage IV or V was applicable to the affected lower extremity. Maximum isometric knee extension was applied for 7 sec 20 times at rest interval of 5 sec. The ratio (muscular output ratio) of average output for the first and last three trials was determined to be used as the index of muscular endurance for both lower extremities. For three hundred meter walking at the fastest speed, the ratio (walking speed ratio) of maximum walking speed immediately before and after the trials was determined as the index of walking endurance. Based on walking rate (WR) and stride length (SL), WR and SL ratios before and after 300m walking were determined and the relationship between them was examined. The muscular output ratio of the affected lower extremity only was found positively correlated to the walking speed ratio. The WR and SL ratios were essentially the same. The present results indicate that muscular endurance of an affected lower extremity affects the walking endurance. Decrease in walking speed for a long distance would appear due to that in WR and SL.

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This study was designed to investigate the influence of gait, with different prosthetic lengths of one leg, on various walking factors, particularly the index of walking efficiency, physiological cost index (PCI), and the necessity of supplementing shoe height in 9 healthy adult men. The subjects engaged in exercise under the conditions in which 5 different leg lengths, 0-4 cm, had been prepared, and the comfortable walking speed and maximal walking speed were assessed. The items analyzed were PCI, differences in heart rate between during exertion and at rest, walking speed, stride length and walking rate. Under the two distinct speed conditions, there was no signiflcant difference in walking speed, stride length or walking rate, when the difference in leg length was within 4 cm. At the comfortable walking speed, however, there were significant differences in PCI with leg length differences between 0 cm and 4 cm and between 1 cm and 4 cm. There was also a difference in heart rate with a leg length difference between 0 cm and 4 cm. These results suggest that supplementation of shoe height is necessary for the patients with a leg length difference of 4 cm, based on our investigation of gait with different leg lengths from the aspect of somatic energy expenditure including PCI and heart rate.

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