ACTIVATION AND CO-CONTRACTION OF THE GASTROCNEMIUS AND ANTERIOR TIBIAL MUSCLES IN THE GAIT OF WOMEN USING DIFFERENT HEIGHTS OF HEELS

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the muscle activation and co-contraction of tibialis anterior (TA) and lateral gastrocnemius (GL) during gait using different shoes. Nine college women walked on a treadmill with speed of 3,5km/h in three situations: without shoes, with short heels (6 cm), and high heels (9 cm) were simultaneously electromyography sinals recorded of TA and GL. The results showed that in the three test situations there was a higher activation of the GL compared with TA (p<0,05). There was also difference (p<0,05) in the muscle activation between the conditions “without shoes x high heels” just for the GL muscle. Finally, it was found that the higher the heel, higher is the percentage of co-contraction found.