[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Pilates exercise on a mat and balance exercise on an unstable base of support for trunk stability on the balance ability of elderly females. [Subjects and Methods] Forty elderly women aged 65 or older were equally assigned to a Pilates mat exercise (PME) group and an unstable support surface exercise (USSE) group. They conducted exercise three times per week for 12 weeks for 40 minutes each time. In order to examine balance, sway length and the speed of the center of foot pressure were measured for one minute, and in order to examine dynamic balance, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test was conducted. [Results] After the intervention, sway length, sway speed, and TUG significantly decreased in both groups. A comparison of sway speed after the intervention between the two groups revealed that the PME group showed larger decreases than the USSE group. [Conclusion] PME and USSE elicited significant effects on the static and dynamic balance of elderly female subjects, suggesting that those exercises are effective at enhancing the balance ability of this group of subjects. However, the Pilates mat exercise is regarded as being safer than exercise on an unstable base of support.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to compare two methods for the muscle stabilization of the trunk of patients with chronic low back pain. The methods comprised combination patterns of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) and ball exercise. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 40 volunteers who had low back pain. All subjects were randomly assigned to either a group which received proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation or a group which performed ball exercise. Measurements were taken four times in total, at pre-intervention, two weeks later, four weeks later, and six weeks later. The main measurement methods used were the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain and electromyography (EMG) for muscle activity. [Results] VAS and EMG activity were significantly reduced in the PNF combination pattern group and the ball exercise group. A comparison of the groups showed significant differences. In VAS and EMG activity; in particular, the combination pattern group using PNF increased EMG activity more than the ball exercise group did after six weeks of intervention. [Conclusion] This study showed that PNF combination pattern training for six weeks was more effective for patients with low back pain than performing ball exercise.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine how compound physical activity affects muscular strength of middle-aged obese women. [Subjects] The research subjects were 40–50 year-old middle-aged women with excess body fat (30%). [Methods] The subjects were randomly assigned to two group, the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group performed two types of exercise programs for 16 weeks. Aerobic physical activity was performed 5 times per week, and anaerobic physical activity was performed every two days, and the exercise program each day was composed of a warm-up, the main exercise, and cooldown. The type of exercise focused on walking at a quick pace, and the intensity of the exercise focused on long periods of exercise at low intensity with the level of HRmax being 40–60%. The weight training, which was useful for beginners, as a type of kinetic load exercise, was applied with a composition recommended by the ACSM for muscle fitness (intensity of 40–60% of 1 RM and 10–15 repetitions). SPSS version 16.0 was used to analyze the data by ANCOVA and the t-test. [Results] The chest, leg, and abdominal strengths were significantly increased in the experimental group, and this indicates that compound physical activity is effective for improvement of muscular strength. [Conclusion] In conclusion, there were significant differences between groups in terms of muscular strength.

[Purpose] This study aimed to compare the effects of horizontal-vibration with those of vertical-vibration training on the balance and gait of patients with stroke. [Subjects and Methods] A sample population of 20 subjects was randomly divided into 2 groups: the horizontal-vibration group and the vertical-vibration group. We evaluated the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score, Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) test results, and 10-meter Walk Test (10MWT) results at 3 times points: before the training, 3 weeks after the training, and 6 weeks after the training. [Results] The BBS score, TUG test result, and 10MWT result differed significantly among the subjects in the vertical-vibration group. However, only the BBS score differed significantly among the subjects in the horizontal-vibration group. [Conclusion] The vibration training used in this study heightened the activity of the trunk muscles and improved balance ability of the patients. In particular, we recommend the vertical-vibration training because dynamic movements such as gait improved the balance ability through activation of the trunk stabilizer muscles.

Abstract. [Purpose] This study compared the motor development characteristics of preterm and full term infants, for utilization basic material for the mediation of the early physiotherapy of high-risk infants. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were preterm and full-term infants who were hospitalized at the nursery of Busan M Hospital from March 30th, 2010 to December 31st, 2010. The group of mature infants (male: 8; female: 9; postconceptional age: 39.24 weeks) and premature infants (male: 10; female: 7; postconceptional age: 40 weeks) were measured for movement and posture using the Test of Infant Motor Performance (ver. 5.0) and the assessment was performed at the postconceptional age of 40 weeks (mean age: 39.75 weeks). [Results] In some items of the observed scale and elicited items, the mature group exhibited better motor development than the premature group. Also, in the overall score of the observed scale, the performance of the premature group was below that of the mature group.[Conclusion] Even healthy premature infants with no neurological issues show reduced levels of development compared to mature infants.