Anticipatory postural adjustments are pre-planned by the central nervous system (CNS) before the activation of agonist muscles in the limbs, and minimize postural sway. Most previous studies on this topic have focused on upper-limb movement, and little research has been conducted on lower-limb movement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the recruitment order of left and right trunk muscles during limb movement. Fifteen healthy subjects (10 male, 5 female) were enrolled. Electro-myographic signals were recorded on the muscles of: (1) deltoid, lumbar erector spinae, latissimus dorsi and internal oblique during shoulder flexion, (2) rectus femoris, rectus abdominis, external oblique and internal oblique during hip flexion. During right upper limb flexion, the onset of left erector spinae muscle and left internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of right deltoid by 8.09 ms and 19.83 ms, respectively. But these differences were not significant (p>.05). A similar sequence of activation occurred with lower limb flexion. The onset of left internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of right rectus femoris muscle by 28.29 ms (p<.05). The onset of right internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of left rectus femoris muscles by 23.24 ms (p<.05). The internal oblique muscle was the first activated during limb movement. Our study established the recruitment order of trunk muscles during limb movement, and explained the postural control strategy of the trunk muscles in healthy people. We expect that this study will be used to evaluate patients with an asymmetric recruitment order of muscle activation due to impaired CNS.

The self-report measure is a useful tool for evaluating self-recognized disability and difficulty in daily living activities. Although many studies and clinics used the Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPDS) for measuring neck pain and functional impairment, there has not been much adaptation of this for use with Korean patients. The purpose of this study was to establish the reliability and validity of NPDS among Korean neck pain patients. Fifty-five subjects (32 males, 23 females) with neck pain enrolled in this study. They completed standardized self-administered questionnaires. The NPDS measures pain intensity; its interference with vocational, emotional, recreational, social, and functional aspects of living; and the presence and extent of associated factors. Reliability was determined by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency. Validity was examined by correlating the NPDS scores to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score. The test-retest reliability of the translated versions of the NPDS was good ICC (2,1)=.86 (95%CI .76~.92). Cronbach's alpha value for NPDS was found to be .93, and this was statistically significant (p<.05). The criterion-related validity coefficient was .79 (p<.Oll. We conclude that the Korean version of NPDS has been shown to be a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of neck pain. Successful linguistic and cultural translation will admit appropriate cross-cultural comparison for clinical analysis. Therefore, this study can be expected to be used as an adequate evaluation scale for neck pain related studies and treatments.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between delays in initiation and termination of tibialis anterior contraction through surface electromyographic (sEMG) analysis in adults with hemiplegia and healthy subjects and clinical assessment of lower-limb mobility. EMG activity of 6 long-term survivors of stroke and 5 healthy subjects was recorded during maximal isometric ankle dorsiflexion in 3 seconds beeper signals. It must be done as fast and forcefully as possible. Lower limb mobility was assessed with Modified Emory Functional Ambulation Profile (mEFAP). Delay in initiation and termination of muscle contraction was significantly prolonged in the affected lower limb relative to the unaffected limb. Termination of muscle contraction in the hemiplegic lower limb was significantly delayed than the initiation on the affected sides. Delay in initiation and termination of muscle contraction correlated significantly with a few range of mEFAP. Abnormally delayed initiation and termination of muscle contraction may contribute to hemiparetic lower limb mobility in hemiparetic patients. Consequently, this study showed that abnormal delay of initiation and termination of muscle contraction may contribute to hemiparetic lower limb mobility in adults with hemiplegia. Further studies are needed to demonstrate a treatment effect.

The purpose of this study was to determine reliability and validity of the Neck Disability Index (NDI) now in use for the first time in neck pain patients of Korea. Fifty subjects (26 males and24 female) with neck pain enrolled in the study. They completed a standardized self-administered questionnaire that include pain intensity, personal care, lifting, reading, headaches, concentration, work, driving, sleeping and recreation. Reliability was determined by intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha by internal consistency. Validity was examined by correlating the NDI scores to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score. The Test-retest reliability of the translated versions of the NDI was good ICC (2,1) = .90 (95%CI .85 .95). Cronbach's alpha value for NDI was found to be .95 and this was statistically significant (p<.05). The criterion-related validity coefficients was .72 (p<.01). We conclude that the Korean version of NDI has shown to be a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of neck pain.