Changes in lower limb muscle synchronisation during walking on high-heeled shoes
Manisha Pratihast1, Ahmed Al-Ani1, Rifai Chai2
1Centre for Health Technologies, Faculty of Engineering & IT, University of Technology Sydney, 15, Broadway Ultimo Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
Wearing high-heeled shoes (HHS) increases lower limb muscle synchronisation during walking. This enhanced muscle coordination is necessary for maintaining knee joint stability on elevated heels.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human Movement Science
- Neuromuscular Physiology
Background:
- High-heeled shoes (HHS) alter lower limb biomechanics.
- Understanding muscle coordination during HHS walking is crucial for injury prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of different high-heeled shoe heights on lower limb muscle synchronisation during walking.
- To analyse muscle pair synchronisation in the beta band frequency.
Main Methods:
- Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to record muscle activity from rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and semitendinosus.
- Participants walked in high-heeled shoes of 4 cm, 6 cm, and 10 cm heel heights.
- Beta band (15-30 Hz) coherence analysis was performed on muscle pairs (RF-VL, RF-VM, RF-ST).
Main Results:
- A significant increase in beta band coherence was observed in all studied muscle pairs when walking in HHS.
- This effect was consistent across all tested heel heights (low, medium, and high).
Conclusions:
- Walking in high-heeled shoes necessitates greater synchronisation between lower limb muscles.
- Increased muscle synchronisation is likely a compensatory mechanism to enhance knee joint stability while walking in HHS.
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