Footwear influence on mechanical translation of soleus muscle activation in flexed knee heel rise action – a cross-correlation study

Flexed knee heel rise (FKHR) action is exploited for clinical and rehabilitation purposes especially in Soleus insufficiency disorders. Effect of footwear (or elastic surfaces) on muscle’s motor efficacy due to changed mechanical properties is unclear. Quantifying such influences is vital for clinical efficacy and standardisation of FKHR exercise. Cross-correlation of Surface-electromyographic (SEMG) and InertialMeasurement-Unit (IMU) signals is an established method to interpret mechanical events following muscles activation by comparing timeseries data. To compare muscle activation (SEMG) of Soleus (SOL) and Tibilais Anterior (TA) muscles with heel displacement (IMU) in FKHR in Flip-Flop (FF) - Barefoot conditions (BF). Methods: SEMG-IMU data was acquired from a cross-sectional study performed on 40 young healthy (male/female) individuals. Subjects performed dominant-side FKHR in FF&BF conditions. SEMG-IMU signals were processed for Root-mean-square (RMS) feature for 20 second data series of FKHR action. Results: The statistical analysis revealed that both groups were homogeneous in terms of subject characteristics (age, height, weight, BMI, duration of pain) and the baseline outcome variables of pain intensity, functional disability, and lumbar movement control impairment (p > 0.05). Significant post-intervention differences in all three outcome variables were observed within both study groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a between-groups analysis showed statistical differences in all three variables in the DNS group in comparison to the SFE group (p < 0.05).

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