Objective: MRI findings of adhesive capsulitis (AC) have been rarely documented even though the disease is a rather common disorder. To find reliable MRI parameters, we studied MRI findings of the patients with arthrographically-proven AC.

Method: Eighteen patients with AC (patient group) and eight subjects without AC (control group) were enrolled. Mean age of the former was 55.1 years and that of the latter was 41.4 years. Mean duration of the diseases in patient group was 5.9 months. Oblique coronal and axial MRI images of the shoulder were measured for the thickness of capsule and synovium around the axillary fold (TAF), volume of axillary recess (VAR), and volume of biceps tendon sheath (VBTS), which were com-

pared in both groups using unpaired t-test.

Results: TAF was significantly increased in patient group (p＜0.0001), and the thickened axillary fold greater than 5.1 mm was a useful MRI criterion for the diagnosis of AC with sensitivity of 93% and with specificity of 100%. VBTS was also significantly diminished in patient group (p＜0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in VAR between two groups.

Conclusion: TAF, especially greater than 5.1 mm, and decreased VBTS are useful MRI parameters for the diagnosis of AC of shoulder. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2002; 26: 177-181)

Objective: Heat therapy is one of physical therapies used most commonly in chronic osteoarthritis. The therapeutic effects of heat therapy might be attributed to induce heat shock proteins in heat-stimulated cells and tissues and therefore, to inhibit cellular damages due to inflammation. In order to investigate preliminarily the therapeutic effects of heat therapy, Hsp(heat shock protein) 70 expressions by heat stimulation were measured in cultured chondrocytes and knee joint cartilages of rabbits.

Method: Five rabbits were used in total in this study. Three rabbits were used for chodrocytes culture and two rabbits were in vivo study. Chondrocytes were cultured from knee cartilages of three rabbits and treated at 33^oC, 37^oC, and 42^oC for 20 min. In order to clarify whether heat therapy using ultrasonification can induce Hsp 70 expression in cartilage tissues, right knees of rabbits were heat-stimulated by ultrasonification for 20 min and their left knees were untreated. After 2 hours, cultured chondrocytes and cartilages were prepared and Hsp 70 expression was also observed by Western blot analysis.

Results: Hsp 70 expression was increased 1.48 folds in 42^oC treated cells compared to in 37^oC treated cells. The heat-stimulated cartilages showed 1.65 fold increases in Hsp 70 expression compared to the unstimulated cartilages.

Conclusion: Hsp 70 expressions were increased by heat stimulation in cultured chondrocytes as well as in cartilage tissues.

Objective: To prove that the skin of paralysed limb of spinal injured rat is more susceptible to a thermal injury than control, and to find out that the possible relating factors for explaining the increased susceptibility of skin.

Method: Of total 69 male Sprague-Dawley rats, 50 were randomly divided into two groups, the spinal injured of which cords were transected at T10-13 level and the control. They were subdivided into 5 subgroups according to the duration of thermal injury. Infrared ray was used for thermal injury. Arterial cannulation was done in the femoral artery for blood gas analysis. Temperature was measured with a digital thermometer. Biopsy samples were stained with HE, and also immunohistochemical staining for heat shock protein 70 (HSP-70) was done.

Results: After thermal injury, the spinal injured group showed more severe tissue damage and a higher temperature elevation than the control. There was a tendency of decreased blood pH and pO2, and increased pCO2. Contrary to the control, the immunoreactivity of HSP-70 was very tiny or rarely present in the spinal injured group.

Conclusion: This study suggest that the increased susceptibility of skin to the thermal injury in spinal injured rats may be related to the vasomotor instability. And, the poor expression of HSP-70 from the skin of spinal injured rat can be a factor for the explanation of the defective cellular protective response in spinal cord injury.

The muscle strain injury(MSI) is one of the most common form of occupational or sports related muscle injuries. Heat has been used to prevent the MSI for a long time. However, it has been little known about the pathophysiology of the MSI and heat action on it.

To clarify the effect of intramuscular temperature elevation on active(eccentric) strain injury, we stretched the muscle by the speed of 10cm per second to produce strain injury on tibialis anterior(TA) and extensor digitorum longus(EDL) in seventeen rabbits with their neurovascular supplies preserved. During the stretch, the peroneal nerves were electrically stimulated simultaneously to evoke muscle contraction with and without infrared ray irradiation on muscles. Also, to specify the location of lengthening during active strain, we attached markers on the muscles and did the motion analysis.

Following results were obtained. The length increments of stretch in heated TA and EDL at the time of total disruption were 40.3±13.76% and 43.6±16.62%, respectively. But those of non heated TA and EDL were 35.5±12.13% and 34.4±15.83%, respectively, which were significantly lower than those of heated TA and EDL(p<0.05). The absorbed energy in heated TA and EDL until the time of total disruption were 175±39.5N·% and 248±47.0N·%, respectively. But those of non heated TA and EDL were 134±36.1N·% and 184±43.2N·%, respectively, which were significantly lower than those of heated TA and EDL(p<0.05, p<0.01). But there was no difference in peak force on the time of total disruption between two groups. The distal muscle segments including distal musculotendinous junction were the most lengthened parts in both muscle groups but the distal muscle segments of heated muscle groups showed more length increment than that of non heated muscle groups statistically. The most frequent site of total disruption by active strain injury was the distal musculotendinous junction in both groups.

In conclusion, the result that the heated muscles showed larger musculotendinous length at the time of total disruption than non heated muscles supports that intramuscular temperature elevation has preventive effect on muscle strain injury, not by increasing contractile ability but by improving extensibility of musculotendinous units. And it is the distal muscle segment including distal musculotendinous junction that lengthens and absorbs the energy mostly.