[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of stretching the upper trapezius muscle on the asymmetric rate of bite force. [Subjects] Forty-seven female university students who had all their original teeth, had no disorders in the temporomandibular joints, and had never worn braces; participated in this study. [Methods] An occlusometer was used to measure biting forces. Subse...

[Purpose] Scapular stabilizer strengthening exercise is crucial for shoulder rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to compare two types of push-up plus exercises, on a stable and unstable bases of support, using surface electromyography (EMG), to suggest an effective shoulder rehabilitation program. [Subjects and Methods] Ten healthy men volunteered for this study. All volunteers perfor...

Trapezius muscle Hoffman (H) reflexes were obtained to investigate the neural adaptations induced by a 5-wk strength training regimen, based solely on eccentric contractions of the shoulder muscles. Twenty-nine healthy subjects were randomized into an eccentric training group (n = 15) and a reference group (n = 14). The eccentric training program consisted of nine training sessions of eccentric...

Most brachial plexus palsies are due to trauma, often resulting from motorcycle accidents. When nerve repair and physiotherapy are unsuccessful, muscle transfer may be considered. Paralysis of the deltoid and supraspinatus muscles can be addressed by transfer of the trapezius. Between March 1994 and June 1997 we treated 38 patients with brachial plexus palsy by trapezius transfer and reviewed 3...

Each year, 17.9% of adults working in a computer-dominated work environment develop an episode of chronic neck and shoulder pain. An effective treatment method for chronic pain is postural correction through therapist. The understanding of the relation between cervicoscapular posture and trapezius muscle activity is not fully understood because the anatomy of the scapula is not accessible for d...

BACKGROUND Sympathetic nervous activity contributes to the maintenance of muscle oxygenation. However, patients with chronic pain may suffer from autonomic dysfunction. Furthermore, insufficient muscle oxygenation is observed among workers with chronic neck and shoulder pain. The aim of our study was to investigate how muscle load tasks affect sympathetic nervous activity and changes in oxygena...

[Purpose] To assess the effects of forearm support and shoulder posture on upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activity. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three female university students were evaluated. Muscle activity was assessed by a portable surface electromyography (sEMG) system (Myomonitor IV, Delsys, USA). Upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activity were recorded in five shoulder flexion...

This study examined the changes in pressure pain in the upper trapezius muscle, cervical range of motion, and cervical flexion-relaxation ratio after overhead work. 14 workers were recruited. Pressure pain in the upper trapezius muscle, active cervical range of motion, and cervical flexion-relaxation ratio were measured in all subjects once before and once after overhead work. The pressure-pain...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of manual therapy on shoulder pain in office workers. [Subjects and Methods] Subjects included 38 office workers who were randomly divided into two groups: a manual therapy group of 19 subjects and a shoulder stabilization exercise group of 19 subjects. All subjects underwent evaluation of the pressure pain threshold in the spleni...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Scapular muscle performance evaluated with a handheld dynamometer (HHD) has been investigated only in people without shoulder dysfunction for test-retest reliability of data obtained with a single scapular muscle test. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability, error, and validity of data obtained with an HHD for 4 scapular muscle tests in subjects with shou...