The purpose of this study was to identify the difference in the temperature rises at the surface of metal and bone in water after ultrasonic irradiation. An ultrasound head was put into a plastic tube and fixed upright by a stand. Metallic and bony plate were used as the experimental materials. These plates were hung horizontally in a tube filled with degassed water (100 cc). Ultrasound was irradiated at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 W/cm² in this study, and thermistors were used to measure the temperature at the frontal (A) and posterior (B) surfaces of the experimental materials and in the water. The temperature rises at high wattage were higher than low at wattage in both materials. The temperature rises at A of the bone plate were twice as high as those of metal at each of the intensities.

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Adult cerebral palsied (CP) and normal subjects performed visual and/or proprioceptive matching tasks. In the CP subjects, EMG from upper limbs of the dominant hand and elbow joint angle were recorded. The CP group produced higher errors when they performed tasks utilizing visual information than when utilizing only proprioceptive information and this result suggests a difficulty in sensory integration. When utilizing visual information, an athetosis subject showed the presence of involuntary movement with hypertonus and a spastic subject showed inadequate settings of target location. Moreover, the performances of the static matching condition and visual memory dependent matching condition were good, especially in athetosis subjects.

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the optimum condition for measuring the maximum walking velocity. Eighteen healthy adults were ordered to walk 10, 30, 60, 120, and 210 m, and the required time for finishing each distance, walking steps, and heart rate during the walk were measured. All the values obtained were found to exert the relation of a secondary regression with the walking velocity. The maximum walking velocity was obtained from the secondary regression curve, and the measurement condition, where the walking distance was 108 m, measurement time was 33 sec, walking steps were 113 steps, and an increase in heart rate was 68 beats/min, was considered optimum.

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In this study, the heart rates of patients with neurological disorders were measured in order to evaluate their walking abilities, and differences in physiological responses when walking short and long distances were clarified. Effects on subjects when walking long distances carrying a load were determined and their relationship to the impairment level of gait capability was studied as well. There was no correlation between walking speed immediately after the walking commenced and the distance walked, i.e., a short distance (50 meters) or a long distance (1 kilometer), in either those with no walking disorders or patients with disorders. Palmic response rose either linearly or logarithmically when the patients walked for a long distance. In patients with severe motion-function disorders, the longer the distance became, the lower the walking efficiency became, resulting in a greater burden being placed on the body. For both people without disorders and patients with disorders, PCI and %HRR increased substantially and walking speed fell when they walked carrying a load. The higher the degree of motion-function disorder, the greater the degree of physiological response. These results show that, in clinical physical therapy, it is important to examine in detail actual long-distance walking by the patient.

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Screening for scoliosis was conducted on 468 male and female students from two junior high schools ( from the first through third grades). The forward bending test method was used by the physical therapist, and younger subjects were checked rigorously. Incidence of scoliosis detected by screening was 14.5% in 1st and 2nd graders and 2.7% in 3rd graders. Furthermore, X-rays showed that the Cobb angle was more than 15 degrees in .66 % of the subjects. These results were consistent with what the prevalent literature reports. According to many authors, detected incidence is changed by raising the cut-off point, there by detecting only the more serious cases. Idiopathic scoliosis is a multifactorial disease. We think that screening should detect not only severe cases, but also less serious ones. In this way, those with slight illness can get care fitting their case. As a secondary effect of this screening, the community was educated on the importance of early detection of idiopathic scoliosis and screening. This may help in the prevention of idiopathic scoliosis.

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The purpose of this study was to compare the hip abductor activity in the early, middle and late standing phases of walking between patients with osteoarthritis of hip joint and healthy subjects. Ten female patients with osteoarthritis of hip joint (average age: 38.4 ± 12.7 years) and ten healthy females (average age: 42.8 ± 7.9 years) participated in the study. Subjects walked freely, and the electromyogram of hip abductors and signals from the foot switches of toes and heels were recorded. The integral value of hip abductor activities in the early, middle and late standing phases were obtained from the signals. In all subjects, the electromyographic integral value became greater in order of the early, middle and late phases. Patients showed significantly greater electromyographic integral values in the middle (p<0.05) and late (p<0.01) phases compared with healthy subjects. In most patients, muscle activity tended to be insufficient in the early phase, thereby remaining in the late phase. This difference in muscle activity between patients with osteoarthritis of hip joint and healthy subjects may be ascribed not only to a decrease in abductor strength of hip joint, but also to a decrease in strength of muscles around hip joint and deterioration in coordinated activities between abductor and muscles around hip joint.

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The present study examined the effect of chest strapping on respiratory response and thoracic movement during the static condition or exercise. A 34-year-old healthy male wore a chest strap, which induced 0, 10 and 20 mmHg of elastic pressure, and performed bicycle ergometer at various exercise intensities. Respiratory response was measured by the expired gas analyzer, and thoracic movement was examined by measuring the longitudinal distance in upper thorax and horizontal distance in lower thorax by the magnetic motion analysis system. Results obtained were: 1) With an increase in pressure, VC, FEV1.0 and TV were decreased, but RR were increased. This resulted in an increase in VE. 2) Longitudinal distance became longer under the pressure of 20 and 10 mmHg at 125 W, and horizontal distance under the pressure of 20 mmHg at 125 and 100 W. 3) No correlation was observed in thoracic movement and energy expenditure, which suggests that elastic contraction of a manchette may support the thoracic movement.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the walking in water which removed the buoyant force (buoyant force removal walking: B.F.R.W.) on respiratory and circulatory systems. Ten healthy college students wore a load weight equivalent to their own buoyant force and were ordered to walk in water of the water level of patella. In case of walking of 2.16 km per hour, oxygen uptake during walking in water or B.F.R.W. was significantly (p<0.01) greater than that during land walking. No significant changes in O₂ pulse, heart rate and the double product were observed among walking in water, B.F.R.W. and land walking. These results suggest that B.F.R.W. can induce various degrees of exercise intensity in the closing movement chain reaction by changing walking speed and water level, and is applicable to muscle strengthening exercise for lower limbs and to physical endurance strengthening exercise.

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