The purpose of this study was to verify the hypothesis that weights loaded on the body affects static standing balance. We compared the standing balance sway of the center of gravity with or without weights. Five healthy subjects were participated in the first study. The postural sway was measured with the center of foot pressure monitor in ten conditions. As a result, the center of foot pressure was found to decrease most at a 10% foot load. 30 healthy subjects and 25 subjects with hemiplegia were participated in the second study. We compared the center of foot pressure on two conditions (without load and 10% foot load). As a result for both healthy persons and hemiplegia patients on four parameter values of Length, REC-Area, SD of X and SD of Y, 10% foot load showed more decrease of sway. Foot load was noted to be a primary factor of standing balance stability.

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The purpose of this study was to examine a relationship between function of hip abductor-adductor muscles and Trendelenburg(T) sign. We examined 39 joints of 35 cases who had received operations for total hip arthroplasty (THA); 20 joints of 18 cases with positive T sign, and 19 joints of 17 cases with negative T sign at 8 week after surgery. To investigate function of hip abductor-adductor muscles between the cases with positive T sign and those with negative T sign, we employed a torque machine (MYORET RZ-450). Function of hip abductor-adductor muscles was evaluated in terms of abductor-adductor torque (0°) and time rate of tension development (TRTD) of abductor-adductor peak torque.
The results of abductor-adductor torque were almost the same between both groups. But TRTD of abductor was slower in cases with positive T sign than in cases with negative T sign (p<0.001). TRTD of adductor was faster in cases with positive T sign than in cases with negative T sign (p<0.05). In addition, positive T sign group can be discriminated from negative T sign group by the discriminating analysis (92%), using four parameters; abductor torque, adductor torque, TRTD of abductor and TRTD of adductor.
These data clearly indicated that function of hip abductor-adductor muscles is involved in the appearance of T sign after THA.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ultra-sound irradiation and static stretching on immobilized Soleus muscle collagen of rats. After left hind limb of seventeen rats were immobilized for three weeks, the animals were randomly assigned to a ultrasound group (n=5), static stretching group (n=6), control group (n=6).
Hydroxyproline was determined for the estimation of the collagen content to represent as a percent of wet weight, the collagen content in neutral salt soluble, acid soluble and insoluble collagen.
There was no significant difference collagen content to represent as a percent of wet weight and collagen solubility between the static stretching group and control group.
In the case of ultrasound group, collagen content to represent as a percent of wet weight was increased significantly as compared with control group. The percentage of the salt soluble collagen to the total collagen did not change significantly as compared with control group. The percentage of the acid soluble collagen to the total collagen was increased significantly as compared with control group. The percentage of the insoluble collagen to the total collagen decreased significantly as compared with control group.
These results suggest that
1) Static stretching has no effect on solubility of immobilized Soleus muscle collagen, affected by intra and intermolecular cross-links.
2) Ultrasound irradiation has effect on solubility of immobilized Soleus muscle collagen, affected by intra and intermolecular cross-links.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of chest expansion in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
We measured height, weight, BMI (body mass index), pulmonary function, degree of dyspnea (Hugh-Jones classification) and chest expansion of twenty-two COPD male patients (COPD group) and forty healthy male volunteers (healthy group). The chest expansion, defined as difference of chest girth between maximal inspiration and maximal expiration, was measured at the levels of the axilla, xiphisternum and 10th rib.
Chest expansion at the three levels in COPD group was significantly smaller than in the healthy group. Chest expansion at the 10th rib was significantly correlated with vital capacity (r=0.745, p<0.01) and dyspnea (Spearman r=-0.635, p<0.01) in COPD group, whereas at the xiphisternum it was significantly correlated only with vital capacity (r=0.324, p<0.05) in healthy group.
These results suggest that chest expansion at the 10th rib in COPD patients is more associated with ventilatory dynamics than higher levels of the chest wall, and we should use physical therapy for treatment in COPD patients, such as facilitation of diaphragmatic breathing, chest expansion exercise at the lower chest, positioning of the patient to obtain greater function in the lower lobes, and so on.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise duration on recovery from disuse atrophy in rat soleus muscle, Twenty male Wistar rats (weight: 203-227g) were divided into experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, disuse muscle atrophy was induced by hindlimb suspension for two weeks, Upon termination of the suspension, these rats were made to run for 10, 30, or 90 min/day on a treadmill during the subsequent recovery period (2 wk).
The soleus muscle weight-to-body weight ratio for the 90 min-group was significantly higher than that for the other experimental groups, but not different from that for the control group, indicating that this group had recovered as a result of exercise. No differences in cross-sectional area of muscle fiber or percentage distribution of muscle fiber type were observed among the experimental groups. Frequency distribution analysis of the cross-sectional area revealed a population of small-sized fibers with type Ⅱ fiber in the experimental groups, indicating that exercise may cause transient muscle injury. These findings suggest that the effect of exercise during recovery from disuse muscle atrophy can't be controlled by only duration and that it is necessary to consider both the effect of and muscle injury caused by exercise.

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A hyperlipemia educational meeting (referred to as an educational meeting) was held to provide guidance on exercise and nutrition to patients who were diagnosed as having hyperlipemia during mass screening and the usefulness of this meeting was assessed by comparing the body composition, measurements of physical strength, and results of hematology tests between before and after the meeting. After the meeting, the body weight and body mass index (BMI) showed a significant decrease and the presumptive maximum oxygen intake per kg of body weight tended to increase. Furthermore, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol showed a significant decrease. Based on the above results, this meeting is considered useful for controlling serum lipid levels of patients with hyperlipemia.

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This study was conducted to establish a pain scale that would express grade, duration, frequency, and time as well as QOL (sleep, appetite, medication, and work habits). The scale was examined for potential application to physical therapy.
For 105 patients, reproducibility and reliability of the scale were evaluated by the test-retest, split half and parallel test methods.
The test-retest indicated r=0.92 in the pain scale, the split half method indicated α=0.49 in the pain states and α=0.64 in the QOL, and the parallel test showed pain states vs VAS is r=0.4 and QOL vs VAS is r=0.56 in this study.
Multiple regression analysis was carried out on the pain scale. The pain states were related to medication (β=0.252), mode (β=0.229) and sleep (β=0.206) (R²=0.54) and then medication was related to appetite (β=0.258), work(β=0.221) (R²=0.4).
These results clearly demonstrate the reliability of the present pain scale and its applicability to clinical situation.

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