To investigate characteristics of walking movements in elderly people, the moments generated at the hip, knee, and ankle joints were determined for the subjects of 13 elderly women aged 80.7 ± 4.9 years and 6 younger women aged 35.8 ± 9.0 years. The subjects walked at a comfortable self-selected pace along a 6 meter walk-way, where two force plates were implanted in parallel at the midpoint. With the aid of four movie cameras, a three dimensional motion analysis was automatically processed to determine the lower limb joint moments. Compared with the younger age group, the elderly group showed significantly lower joint moments in most cases except for hip extension during the deceleration phase and knee flexion during the acceleration phase. The speeds of free walking by younger individuals were correlated significantly with the joint moments related mainly to braking action; the moments of knee flexion at heel contact, of knee extension at the onset of the single stance phase, and of ankle dorsiflexion at half way of the double stance phase. In the elderly group, the joint moments during knee extension and ankle plantarflexion at the push-off phase were significantly correlated with the speed of free walking. The stride length was significantly correlated only with the moment of ankle plantarflexion in the elderly group. These results suggest that vigorous push-off by the knee extensor and ankle plantarflexor muscles can be particularly emphasized for normal walking in elderly women.

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We have newly developed a 5-grade evaluation method, which consists in classifying breathing patterns from abdominal rising and scalenic contraction timing via palpation, and examined the reliability of the method.
In 147 cases of respiratory diseases, grade classification with the 5-grade evaluation method, Hugh-Jones’ evaluation and resting expired air gas analysis were performed, and their results were compared each other.
The average value of tidal volume (V_T) tended to decrease with decreasing the grade; 627.8 ml/min in degree 5, 627.6 ml/min in degree 4, 513.9 ml/min in degree 3, and 436.9 ml/min in degree 2. The average value of respiratory rate (RR) tended to increase; 13.7 f/min in degree 5, 15.5 f/min in degree 4, 17.2 f/min in degree 3, and 20.5 f/min in degree 2, and ventilatory equivalent for oxygen (V_E/VO₂) tended to increase; 41.8 in degree 5, 49.5 in degree 4, 50.8 in degree 3, and 55.2 in degree 2. Cases of earlier scalenic contraction at inspired air phase showed a tendency of lower respiratory efficiency. The results of the 5-grade evaluation method exhibited a significant correlation (r = -0.444) with those of Hugh-Jones' classification. These results suggest that the present 5-grade evaluation method can reflect the respiratory function of patients with respiratory diseases.

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We investigated the critical factors for decision to the type of leg brace in hemiplegic patients (N = 53, mean age of 62.1 years).
The results were as follows.
1) The patients who had been prescribed with the long leg brace were classified in the severe (Brunnstrom stage Ⅰ・Ⅱ) and moderate paretic (Brunnstrom stage Ⅲ・Ⅳ) groups, and they showed weak muscular strength of the sound side and poor performance of dynamic sitting balance.
2) The patients prescribed with the short leg brace indicated moderate paresis, high muscular strength of the sound side and good performance of dynamic sitting balance.
3) Although it was difficult to predict in early phase whether the patient would be able to change from the long leg brace to the short leg brace or not in the recovery process, the present study suggests that the improvement of muscular strength of the sound side may be one of the important factors.

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In the treatment of children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities, respiratory movement therapy was given, the effects on the cerebral blood flow were examined, and brain activity was studied. The subjects were six children with Grade Ⅰ of Oshima's classification. Their mean age was 16.5 years (6～25 years). Before, during and after movement therapy, cerebral circulatory dynamic and respiratory metabolism were continuously measured, and the data were compared among the three periods. Although the data varied depending on subjects, four of the six subjects showed a response pattern in which the oxygenated hemoglobin and total hemoglobin levels significantly increased during and after movement therapy compared with before therapy. With respect to respiratory metabolism as well, the data showed variations, and there were no parameters showing marked changes among the three periods in any of the six subjects. In two subjects, however, oxygen consumption per minute after movement therapy tended to decrease compared with before therapy. These results suggest the possibility that movement therapy contributes to cerebral blood flow increase, thereby giving some effects on brain activity.

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Thirty patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) participated in this study which sought to examine the effect of exercise therapy during hospitalization on the control of blood glucose and lipid levels after discharge. Subjects were assigned randomly to two groups, either a dietary and execise therapy group (DE group, n = 22) or a dietary therapy group (D group, n = 8).
During hospitalization both DE and D groups showed significant improvement in thier glycemic control compared with that at admission. Obesity index slightly decreased in both groups. The total-cholesterol decreased significantly in the DE group only. Three months following discharge, the fasting blood glucose level in the DE group increased significantly, but there was no further increase during testing at 6 months. On the contrary, the fasting blood glucose level in the D group increased significantly from discharge till testing at 6 months. Although the serum triglyceride (TG) remained unchanged in both groups, the TG levels were significantly lower in the DE group than in the D group throughout the study. The HDL-cholesterol increased significantly after discharge in the DE group only.
These results indicated that exercise therapy for patients with NIDDM during hospitalization had beneficial effects in the maintenance of metabolic control after discharge. This suggests greater independence of subjects following DE intervention. Further study on the follow-up of patients with NIDDM following discharge is required.

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Therapeutic approach was offered at her home to a 94-year-old woman with oral dyskinesia induced by arterosclerosis and atrophy in her brain and aggravated after cerebral infarction. Her awareness was as low as Ⅲ-200 according to Japan Coma Scale. She was bedridden, failing to keep a sitting position due to lack of righting activities. Three years after cerebral infarction, therapeutic approach of a 45-min treatment session was carried out 15 times for four months. Flexor dominant spasticity of trunk was reduced, and head and neck leaned to the right were regained near the midline. Stability with mobility of hyoid and larynx pulled to the right was increased and those positions changed near the midline, too. Tongue thrusts to the right and outward was pressed and suppressed by a therapist's index and middle fingers wrapped with wet gauzes. The thrusting which occurred 23 times/min at the first assessment, suppressed after four months. As a result, taking liquid with a spout became easier, variety of food increased from three to eight, and the volume of urine stabilized. Eating time decreased from one hour to 30 or 40 min.

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