Muscle co-contraction around the knee when walking with unstable shoes

Walking with unstable shoes has been discussed to decrease joint loading. Typical estimates of joint loading using an inverse dynamic approach only account for net joint moments, not considering the potential role of muscular co-contraction. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare muscular co-contraction levels when walking with two different unstable shoe constructions (rocker-bottom and toning shoes) compared to walking with regular shoes. For each shoe condition, 12 healthy subjects walked with both, a regular shoe and with an unstable shoe at self-selected walking speed at a 10-m walkway. Surface EMG data of selected muscles were recorded and time normalized for calculating co-contraction indices (CCI) for opposing muscle groups. Results showed an increase of co-contraction primarily for vastii and gastrocnemius muscles for the first and second half of stance when walking with an unstable shoe construction. Therefore, when using an inverse dynamic approach to analyze joint loading differences between regular shoes and unstable shoes, one should be cautious in interpreting the data, as these methods base their estimates of joint moments upon the net joint torque.