[Purpose] The main aim of this study was to identify the short-term effects of Kinesio taping (KT) on the static body alignment and overall balance function presented by the coordinate and foot balance in stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty-eight stroke subjects were randomly allocated into the study groups. The kinematic analysis measured deviation or changes from standard body alignment and foot pressure by the human anatomy-based coordinates were examined using the Shisei Innovation System PA200 ver.9.0. [Results] The glabellas on the front view, larynx on the front view, rt. greater tubercle of the humerus (vertical changes), lt. greater tubercle of the humerus (vertical changes), posterior superior iliac spine, and greater trochanter (horizontal changes) showed statistically significant decreases, indicating dislocation from the axis center, after taping. [Conclusion] The clinical use of KT for stroke patients who have asymmetrical and imbalanced body posture could be an optimal therapeutic approach. Since more evidence based practices are needed, future studies should include large numbers of subjects and examine diverse KT application patterns.

BACKGROUND: Trunk stabilization contributes to the efficient control of body movements in daily life, and it plays an important role in maintaining the proper alignment of the body and preventing low back pain. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of breathing exercises and lumbar segmental exercises on the vital capacity of lumbar instability patients. METHOD: Fifty-nine patients suffering from chronic low back pain participated in this study. They were randomly divided into three groups: experiment group 1 performed breathing and segmental stabilization exercises (n= 20), experiment group 2 performed segmental stabilization exercises (n= 20), and the control group performed the modality treatment (n= 19). The measurements were assessed on vital capacity. RESULTS: The difference in the forced vital capacity, maximal expiratory pressure, and maximal inspiratory pressure at pre- and post-intervention was significant in the RE+LSSE and LSSE groups (p< 0.05) and among all groups (p< 0.05). The difference in the forced expiratory volume at one second of each group was significant (p< 0.05) but was not significant among groups (p> 0.05). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the lumbar segmental stabilization exercise activates the deep muscle and improves the respiratory function and respiratory pressure, when used for chronic low back pain patients with segmental instability.

The Korean Society of Physical Therapy (KSPT) engages and inspires an international leadership in Asia on issues associated with physical therapy. As the leading journal for research in physical therapy and other fields related to rehabilitation science, KSPT publishes highly qualified scientific topic for clinicians and researchers, with the expressed purpose of improving therapeutic approaches for health and life quality of human. The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy (J Kor Phys Ther) is pubilished bimonthly from 1989, and it is open access journal, consequently, articles are free for all users to read and use. This journal is indexed in KCI (http://kci.go.kr), ScienceCentral (http://e-sciencecentral.org), Google Scholar (http:// scholar.google.com) and CrossRef (http://crossref.org). KSPT invites research papers and a limited number of reviews in the field of musculoskeletal, neurological, pediatric, geriatric, eletrophysiologic physical therapy. Although special research areas are emphasized for publication, articles dealing with other rehabilitation science will also be welcomed.