Vol. 20 pp.71 - 78.

The Effects of Heel Raise on the Muscle Activity of the Lower Leg Muscle in Adults with Chronic Ankle Instability according to the Change of Environment

AbstractPurpose:

This study confirmed the effect of the heel lift exercise according to the presence or absence of visual blocking and the height of the support surface on muscle activity of the lower leg muscles in general adults.


Methods:

This study recruited 30 adults. Before the experiment, electrodes were placed in the medial and lateral gastrocnemius, soleus, and tibialis anterior, and the participants practiced heel-raising movements about five times. Next, heel-raising was performed on a box of 0 cm, 20 cm, and 25 cm height with the eyes open and wearing an eye patch. During heel-raising, the muscle activity of the medial and lateral gastrocnemius, soleus, and tibialis anterior was measured, and the maximum isometric contraction value was calculated through normalization. The motion was measured three times and the average of the values was used. Statistical verification was performed using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance.


Results:

The gastrocnemius and soleus showed significant differences according to height (p<0.05), and the tibialis anterior showed significant results by group and height and an interaction effect of group and height(p<0.01). All groups showed significant changes in muscle activity according to height.


Conclusion:

The results suggest that in adults with ankle instability, heel-raising movements show greater muscle activity at higher heights when blocked by sight, and that heel-raising exercises can be performed more effectively through adjustment of the support surface height.