Changes in lower limb muscle synchronisation during walking on high-heeled shoes

Abstract

The goal of this research was to investigate the effect of wearing high-heeled shoes (HHS) on lower limb muscle synchronisation during walking, using beta band (15–30 Hz) coherence analysis. Fifteen females with no previous neuromuscular disorders volunteered in this study. Surface electromyography in frequency domain was studied from rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM) and semitendinosus (ST) muscles during walking by subjects wearing HHS of three different heel heights (low – 4 cm, medium – 6 cm and high – 10 cm). Average coherence values were calculated for RF-VL, RF-VM and RF-ST muscles in beta band to analyse muscle pair synchronisation. In this study, significant increase in beta band coherence was found in all three muscle pairs during walking on HHS of different heel heights (p<0.05). Increased beta band coherence obtained from this study suggested that walking on HHS demands higher muscle pair synchronisation, to maintain stability around the knee joint.