Purpose: Although muscle strength of patients with pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) decreases as kidney function declines, it is not clear how much lower it is compared with that in healthy individuals. The purpose of the present study was to clarify rates of muscle strength as predicted by age in pre-dialysis CKD patients.

Methods: We measured muscle strength (handgrip strength, knee extensor muscle strength) of 291 patients with pre-dialysis stage G3a–5 CKD and calculated the rates of muscle strength as predicted by age by comparing their muscle strength levels with the average values of sex- and age-matched healthy individuals. Muscle strength was also compared by sex and age.

Results: The rates of handgrip strength as predicted by age for the CKD patients were as follows: stage G3a, 84.4%; G3b, 85.5%; G4, 78.6%; and G5, 72.3%. Those of knee extensor muscle strength were as follows: stage G3a, 104.6%; G3b, 95.9%; G4, 88.3%; and G5, 84.2%. Muscle strength compared by sex and age was noticeably lower in the elderly women.

Conclusions: The findings suggested that the handgrip strength and knee extensor muscle strength values of pre-dialysis CKD patients at CKD stages G4 and G5 were about 70–80% and 85–90%, respectively, those of the average values of sex- and age-matched healthy individuals.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of the different methods of rising from a bed on hip joint angle, operating time, pain and difficulty faced by patients during the early postoperative period after total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Methods: Eighteen patients were examined on the 7th day after THA. 3-D motion analysis was performed, in which the participants were asked to rise from a bed using six different methods, which were classified as directions to get off using self support. The hip joint maximum angle during operation (flexion, adduction, internal rotation), operating time, pain, and difficulty were evaluated and compared between the methods.

Result: The hip maximum adduction angle of the side affected during the operation was significantly lower that of the non-affected side for each method of rising. There were no significant differences in the hip maximum flexion angle and internal rotation angle of the affected side, operating time, pain, and difficulty among the methods.

Conclusions: The hip maximum adduction angle of the side affected during the operation was lower than that of the non-affected side for all the methods.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate cardiorespiratory responses and metabolism in acute stroke patients while in the following basic positions: supine, 30° head-up, sitting, sitting in a wheelchair, and standing.

Method: A portable breath-by-breath system was used to determine oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, minute ventilation, metabolic equivalents (METs), and resting energy expenditure (REE) in 31 acute stroke patients as they assumed the five basic positions examined.

Results: With the exception of standing, the peak values for oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, minute ventilation, METs, and REE did not differ significantly among any of the studied positions. During standing, these values were clearly the highest, and the energy consumption was approximately 2 METs. All of the peak values were significantly higher for the acute stroke patients than for those living in a convalescence/rehabilitation ward. The mean %REE was 132% in the acute stroke patients.

Conclusions: Metabolism did not significantly change among the supine, head-up, sitting and sitting in wheelchair but it is a possibility that the standing position is high in physical load and it is necessary to pay attention to the patient’s general medical condition. Furthermore, the results of the study indicate that metabolism was enhanced immediately following stroke onset.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the acute response of interleukin-6 (IL-6) during exercise and glucose fluctuations/skeletal muscle index (SMI) in patients with abnormal glucose metabolism after acute treatment of coronary artery disease.

Method: A total of 13 patients with abnormal glucose metabolism after acute treatment of coronary artery disease were selected. IL-6 and blood glucose (BG) levels were measured before and immediately after aerobic exercise. SMI was measured using the multi-frequency impedance method to examine the relationship among the amount of change of IL-6 (⊿IL-6), amount of change of BG (⊿BG), and SMI at before and after exercise.

Result: A significant negative correlation between ⊿IL-6 and ⊿BG and a significant positive correlation between ⊿IL-6 and SMI were confirmed (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The result suggested that increased secretion of IL-6 was involved in the promotion of glucose intake into skeletal muscles and the muscle mass was associated with the amount of secreted IL-6 even after one cycle of aerobic exercise.

Background and Purpose: The original version of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sports after Injury (ACL-RSI) scale is an English language scale with 12 items that assess the psychological impact of returning to sports after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The aims of this study were to translate the ACL-RSI scale from English to Japanese with cross-cultural adaptation, and to examine some of the measurement properties of the Japanese version of the ACL-RSI scale.

Methods: The creators of the original version were asked for and gave permission to translate and validate the questionnaire. Using international guidelines, the English version was translated and cross-culturally adapted to the Japanese version. The translated scale was completed by 40 Japanese participants who had undergone ACL reconstruction (20 men, 20 women; age 22.7 ± 7.7 years). Participants were interviewed about the difficulty of understanding the translated questionnaire after answering all the items. The feasibility, internal consistency, face validity, and ceiling and floor effects of the Japanese version were analyzed.

Results: The Japanese ACL-RSI scale showed good face validity and internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.94). Additionally, there were low ceiling and floor effects.

Conclusions: This study showed that the cross-cultural adaptation of the English version of the ACL-RSI scale was successful. The Japanese version of the ACL-RSI scale can be used to investigate psychological readiness to return to sport in Japanese-speaking patients after ACL reconstruction.

Purpose: By comparing the effects of four stretching with and without directional preference (DP) in the initial evaluation of patients suffering from chronic non-specific low back pain with a duration of more than 6 months, to consider whether DP of the initial evaluation becomes an indicator of subgrouping in this stretching.

Methods: We classified 41 cases with DP and 32 cases without DP in the initial evaluation. We instructed once a week intervention and 4-weeks of self-exercise.

Results: There were no items of difference between the groups. Both groups showed significant improvement before and after the intervention in all items of the VAS, chest lumbar part ROM, SF-36, JOABPEQ, and ODI.

Conclusion: In the case of performing this stretching on patients with chronic non-specific low back pain, since efficacy was recognized for all pain, physical functions and mental functions regardless of the presence of DP at the initial evaluation, under these conditions it was suggested that the presence or lack of DP may not impact the results of this stretching.