Gluteus medius muscle activation on stance phase according to various vertical load

This study aims to analyze muscle activity of the lower limbs during stance phase of gait in accordance with the application of various vertical loadings.

Participants who met the criterion for this study (n=11). During their gait, various vertical loadings (0 kg, 0.5 kg, 1 kg) were provided and their muscle activities in the lower limbs during stance phase were measured. In order to accurately measure their gait, they were instructed to walk 5 gait cycles, and 3 gait cycles excluding the front and back 1 cycle were used for analysis. For the objectivity of data, measurements were made three times under each condition and average values were employed for statistic analysis.

The intervention of applying various vertical loadings of 0 kg, 0.5 kg, 1 kg to the lower limbs during swing phase in order to compare muscle activities of the lower limbs during stance phase of gait resulted in the following outcomes. Tibialis anterior and peroneus longus muscle activities did not significantly differ with the application of various vertical loadings to the lower limbs during swing phase, while gluteus medius muscle activities significantly differed according to the levels of loadings applied. There were significant differences in muscle activities between the loading of 0 kg and the loading of 0.5 kg.

Clinicians may use these results to effectively progress strengthening for gluteus medius in the rehabilitation of lower extremity injuries.