[Purpose] As an initiative of a post-acute rehabilitation ward, a questionnaire survey was conducted to examine changes in therapists’ attitudes after cardiac rehabilitation using a cardiac function assessment form. [Participants and Methods] Twenty-one therapists assessed patients’ cardiac function using an assessment form, and performed cardiac rehabilitation based on the findings. Subsequently, they answered 14 attitude-related and 14 reverse questions on a 7-point scale. [Results] The score for ＜usefulness of the assessment form＞ was the highest, followed by ＜adjustment of exercise load＞ and ＜acquisition of knowledge＞. The score for ＜confidence in performing cardiac rehabilitation＞, which was low before the use of the assessment form, revealing that most therapists lacked confidence, significantly increased after it. [Conclusion] Performing cardiac rehabilitation after assessing patients’ cardiac function using an assessment form may increase therapists’ confidence.

[Purpose] The effects of continued motor imagery as a voluntary practice on the excitability of spinal motor nerve function and motor accuracy were examined. [Participants and Methods] Nine healthy subjects practiced motor imagery focused on numerical information for four weeks. F-waves were derived from the left thumb ball during resting trials and motor imagery trials in the first and fourth weeks. After each trial, a pinch force adjustment task was given to assess motor accuracy. [Results] No difference in the F/M amplitudes’ ratio was observed between the trials in the first and fourth weeks, and no change in motor accuracy was observed before and after the motor imagery trials. However, two subjects with large absolute errors in pinch force values in the first week improved their motor skills before the motor imagery trial in the fourth week. [Conclusion] The results of this four-week continuous numerical imagery intervention suggest that motor skills can be improved if there is room for improvement in motor skills.

[Purpose] This study investigated the effectiveness of an intervention (a spine mat) by measuring trunk inclination angle (TIA) and the center of pressure (COP) location while standing. [Participants and Methods] The study participants were 83 elementary school students. Their TIA and the COP location in the upright position were measured before and after the spine mat intervention. [Results] Comparison of TIA showed that the degree of anteversion was significantly reduced in boys (3.04 ± 3.8°) after the intervention as compared to before the intervention (4.34 ± 3.7°). In contrast, there was no significant difference in the TIA in girls. No significant change was observed in the COP location after the intervention in either boys or girls. [Conclusion] The results of this study show that the immediate effect of spine mat intervention on TIA was that only boys showed a decrease in TIA. There was no change in COP location in either boys or girls after the intervention.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of physical function of amateur soccer players on their levels of competition and to evaluate the relationship between each physical function item. [Participants and Methods] A total of 28 male soccer players, 21 from a high level team (group H) and 7 from a low level team (group N), were included in the study. Mean power and maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) were measured as muscle and total body endurance, respectively, and in addition, jump power, lower limb muscle strength, and muscle mass of the lower limbs and trunk were compared between the two groups to evaluate the correlation between muscle and total body endurance and other physical parameters. [Results] Athletes in group H had significantly higher mean power than those in group N. Mean power was significantly correlated with jump power, lower limb strength, and lower limb and trunk muscle mass, and VO2max was significantly correlated with lower limb and trunk muscle mass. [Conclusion] These results suggest that differences in the competition level of amateur soccer players may be related to muscle mass.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to assess the characteristics of instruction and feedback given by physical therapists when giving movement teaching to patients. [Participants and Methods] Ten physical therapists were asked to instruct a simulated patient with left hemiplegia following a stroke in bed, and to record a video of the movement of the therapists and patient. Participants watched the video after completing the task and were asked to comment on their own teaching. From the videos, we measured teaching time, types of instruction and feedback, and the number of times of each type of instruction and feedback. [Results] The frequency of instruction with an in-ternal-focus was high for all subjects. A significant positive correlation between the frequency of instruction with external-focus and years of experience was found. [Conclusion] We hypothesize that physical therapists are more likely to use internal-focus when teaching activities of daily living.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of changing the cue for movement initiation and the movement speed on the accuracy of the stepping. [Participants and Methods] Twenty healthy young adults and 10 older adults participated. Using a three-dimensional motion analysis system, the forward and forward lateral stepping motions were captured in eight different conditions of motion speed and cue. The sum of each deviation from the mean trajectory of 10 trials of the right heel were defined as the variability. [Results] In the case of forward lateral stepping, the variability of the elderly for the optimal-speed condition was significantly larger than that for the high-speed condition. On the other hand, there were no significant differences between the young and older groups. [Conclusion] The results suggest that changes in the movement initiation cue and movement speed affect the variability of the stepping motion in the elderly.

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the effects of shoe stiffness on rotational movements in ballet. [Participants and Methods] Differences in shoe stiffness were checked using a universal testing machine. Fifteen ballet dancers performed ballet turns with two types of shoes and their motions were recorded for 3D motion analysis. The changes in flexion and extension of the three lower limb joints, and the changes in the rotation axis and jerk of the lateral malleolus, heel, and second metatarsal head of both feet were calculated and compared between the two shoes during the double-leg support time, single-leg support time, and at the end of the rotation. [Results] The amount of change in the rotation axis inclination during double-leg support time in soft shoes was lower, and the jerk of the second metatarsal head was greater at the end of the trial. [Conclusion] The stiffness of the shoes had no effect on the lower limb joints of dancers with many years of experience, while it may have had an effect on the rotation axis inclination and the smoothness of the foot motion.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of missing information in case reports related to dog physical therapy in Japan. [Participants and Methods] Case reports published in Japanese academic journals from 1900 to 2022, which were identified using three electronic databases including Ichushi-Web, were included in this study. Information missing from the case reports was assessed using the CAse REport guidelines. [Results] A total of nine case reports were identified and they had a compliance rate of 100% for the item of type of therapeutic intervention. However, the compliance rate was less than 30% for 10 items in the abstract and main text. [Conclusion] The findings of this study suggest that there may be instances of misleading expression in Japanese case reports related to dog physical therapy.

[Purpose] To analyze and clarify the current situation of the process by which care managers select walking aids, based on interviews. [Participants and Methods] Five care managers at an in-home care support office registered in City A were interviewed in focus groups using semi-structured interviews, and the contents were analyzed qualitatively. [Results] Four concepts were extracted: Criteria for deciding whether a cane is necessary, Checkpoints when selecting a cane, Follow-up after the introduction of a cane, and Concerns from selecting a cane to using a cane. [Conclusion] Care managers select a walking aid cane based on information from various professions, while taking into account the subject’s gait observation, the subject’s wishes and the environment, suggesting the need for intervention by rehabilitation specialists from selection to follow-up.

[Purpose] The immediate effects of the towel-gathering exercise (conventional method) and a devised intrinsic foot muscles exercise (yubidashi method) in the standing position on the muscle activities of the intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles during flexion of the toes were examined by foot morphology. [Participants and Methods] Thirty-five limbs of healthy adults were divided into normal and pronated foot groups, and the muscle activities and toe grasping forces of the intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles were compared before and after the two toe flexion exercises. [Results] The conventional method increased the muscle activity of the extrinsic foot muscles in the normal foot, decreased the muscle activity of the intrinsic foot muscles, and increased the toe grasp strength. The yubidashi method increased the muscle activity of the extrinsic and intrinsic foot muscles of the pronated foot. [Conclusion] The results suggest that the conventional method is effective for normal feet while the yubidashi method is effective for pronated feet.

[Purpose] To identify changes in the amount of physical activity among home-visit rehabilitation users between winter and spring. [Participant and Methods] We measured the amount of physical activity of one home-visit rehabilitation patient during winter and spring using an activity meter. The amount of physical activity in each season was examined using the Mann-Whitney U test, dividing activity into three periods: sedentary activity time, low physical activity time, and moderate to vigorous physical activity time. [Results] The duration of moderate to vigorous physical activity was 15.0 min (6-65 min) in winter and 30.5 min (2-139 min) in spring, showing a significant difference between winter and spring. No differences were found in the duration of sedentary activity and low physical activity. [Conclusion] Home-visit rehabilitation users may show an increase in moderate to vigorous physical activity hours in the spring.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine whether sensory impairment combined with stroke hemiplegia prolongs the recovery time of independent walking. [Participants and Methods] Twenty-one patients with first-ever stroke and hemiplegia who were not ambulatory on admission and had mild motor paralysis (>9 on the 12-point Hemiplegia Recovery Grade scale) were included in this study. The correlations between the scores on the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set’s tactile and positional tests and time to gait independence were determined. [Results] Significant negative correlations were found between the recovery time of independent walking and tactile sensation (r＝－0.51), and positional test scores (r＝－0.48). [Conclusion] In stroke hemiplegia with mild motor paralysis, the more severe the tactile and positional deficits, the longer it took to regain walking independence.

[Purpose] This study investigated the superficial location of the internal abdominal oblique muscles with muscle fibers in the pelvis in Japanese individuals. [Participants and Methods] Ultrasound images of the anterior surfaces of the bilateral pelvic and hip joints of 11 healthy adult male subjects were obtained to identify areas where the internal oblique muscle are superficially located. [Results] In all subjects, the internal oblique muscle was visualized on the surface 0 cm below (A0, B0) and 1–4 cm medial, 1 cm below (A1, B1) and 2–5 cm medial, 2 cm below (A2, B2) and 3–5 cm medial, 3 cm below (A3, B3) and 4–6 cm medial to the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS). [Conclusion] The location of the internal oblique abdominal muscle on the superficial layer of the muscle revealed in this study is considered to be an appropriate electrode attachment position for surface electromyography measurement.

[Purpose] To set exercise intensity for individual patients with immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) using limb skeletal muscle quality (LMQ) and physical cost indices (PCI). [Participant and Methods] A male patient in his 40s with IMNM performed resistance training, walking, and stair climbing exercises with exercise intensities based on weekly assessments of LMQ and PCI. The MRC muscle strength score, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), serum-CK level, and fatigue assessment scale (FAS) were evaluated before the start of physical therapy and at discharge. [Results] Exercise intensity could be increased to 60% (moderate intensity), MRC muscle strength score and 6MWT improved, and the patient was discharged to home with no worsening of the serum-CK level or FAS. [Conclusion] The results suggest that evaluation of efficiency using LMQ and PCI may be an indicator for setting appropriate exercise intensity for individuals with IMNM.