The present study aims to verify the perception of object size and the internal model that influence the control process for lifting. Twenty healthy females participated in the study. Two containers of the same weight, but unequal sizes (large and small) were prepared. Two containers were lifted alternately in 5 trials. Using a surface electromyography, activities of trapezius muscle, deltoid muscle, biceps brachii muscle, and brachioradialis muscle were recorded while lifting the container and the integral values were calculated for one second from the start of lifting. After each trial, the subjects' feeling about difference in weight and their prediction of weights before lifting were described. In the first trial, when lifting the small container, a significant increase was observed in biceps brachii muscle and brachioradialis muscle in group A (starting with the large container). And when lifting the large container, a significant decrease was observed in deltoid muscle and biceps brachii muscle in group B (starting with the small container). From the second to the fifth trials: the difference got smaller with trial in both group A and group B. After the first trial, most subjects determined the small container was heavy. Also, before lifting, most subjects predicted the large container would be heavy because of the difference in size. It can be explained that those results were obtained because; 1) the subjects predicted the small container would be light from the perception of object size and internal model, but 2) the predictions were cross-checked and modified by the sensory feedback on their subjective weight.

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This study investigated changes in the Activity of Daily Living (ADL) of stroke patients in a convalescent rehabilitation ward and a general ward using a Functional Independent Measure (FIM). The subjects of the study were 95 patients who had been hospitalized for rehabilitation purposes at the Oyamada Memorial Spa Hospital. The respective changes in FIM at the time of hospitalization and 1 week later were investigated in 68 convalescent rehabilitation group (CRG) patients and 27 control group (CG) patients. In addition, the CRG patients were investigated again after one month. The total FIM score increased significantly (p<0.01) in the first week after hospitalization in both groups. The FIM-gain in one week in the CRG patients was especially high. A significant improvement was observed in the patients' motor skills in 12/13 items. Multiple regressions were used to assess the relationships between FIM-gain (one week, one month), age, rehabilitation intensity and other predictive variables. Better rehabilitation outcomes were observed in patients with lower dementia and high rehabilitation intensity. It was thought that high rehabilitation intensity and the planned rehabilitation based on ADL were effective in the CRG, suggesting that the CRG system is effective for the rehabilitation of stroke patients.

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The effect of mirror therapy on upper limb paralysis in hemiplegic patients was evaluated by using single-case design. In this study, the alternating treatment design was used, in which both the mirror and the control therapies were randomly assigned 5 times. Three left-side hemiplegic patients were enrolled in this study. The time poststroke was 10, 11 and 12 months. Integrated electromyography (IEMG), electromyographic reaction time (EMG-RT), grip strength, and index-finger tapping test (ITT) were performed to evaluate immediate effects. The significant effect of the mirror therapy was observed in the IEMG and the EMG-RT in all the patients. However, no significant effect was observed in the grip strength and the ITT. These results suggest that the mirror therapy can immediately improve the neuromuscular function of a paralyzed hand of hemiplegic patients.

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The aim of this cross-sectional study was to perceive daily physical activity (PA) and to determine whether hip impairments and psychosocial factors are associated with PA in women after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Study participants consisted of 34 women (65.8 ± 9.2 years of average age). They were recruited from an outpatients clinic at a university hospital and they had received THA operation more than one-year before. The main outcome variable was the number of steps per day, which was measured using a pedometer over 7 days. Other variables included the Harris hip score for hip impairments, subscales of Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) and the frequency of work-time and leisure-time walking for psychosocial factors.
Participants had somewhat lower subscales of SF-36, particularly physical functioning, compared to the Japanese norm. The mean number of steps taken of participants aged 50s and 60s was lower than that reported in the National Nutrition Survey in Japan, 2001. However, participants over 70 years old were comparable in PA. The frequency of work-time walking was higher than that of leisure-time walking. There were low to moderate correlations between step counts and the following factors; physical functioning, role-physical, general health (GH), role-emotion (RE), and leisure-time walking frequency (ρ = 0.36-0.51). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that GH, RE, and leisure-time walking frequency were significantly associated with the number of steps taken after adjusting for age.
These results suggest that women aged 50s and 60s after THA may have lower PA, compared to the national survey, and that PA is strongly related to psychosocial factors, not to hip impairments.

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The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of the measurement method of isometric plantar flexion force using a hand-held dynamometer and investigate the relation between this measurement method and Manual Muscle Testing (MMT).
The subjects were 93 elderly people (mean age 79.5 years old) who dwelt in and visited Geriatric Health and Care Service Facilities.
Reliability of the measurement method of plantar flexion force was analyzed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and relationship between the measurement method of plantar flexion force and MMT was analyzed using ANOVA and multiple comparison.
The results were as follows; Both ICC values measuring the intra and inter rater reliability were over 0.9. Although subjects with better grade of MMT showed significantly greater plantar flexion force on the whole, there was no difference in plantar flexion force of subjects classified into grade 4 and 5 of MMT.
These results indicated that this measurement method of plantar flexion force is available clinically for subjects whose plantar flexion force are not strong.

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[in Japanese]

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