The influence of shoe-heel height on knee muscle activity of transtibial amputees during standing

Abstract

In order to access the effects of shoe-heel height on knee muscle activity for transtibial amputees during standing, five male subjects volunteered for the study. Three pairs of shoes with zero, 20 mm and 40 mm heel height were used during normal standing. Surface EMG of 10 muscles was recorded by the Noraxon surface EMG collection system. EMG-MAV of the medial and lateral gastrocnemius of the sound leg almost change double with increase in heel height from zero to 40 mm, and EMG-MAV of the rectus fomris, vastus lateralis and vastus medialis of prosthetic side became larger to different extent. The finding in this paper suggested that an alignment change was necessary to accommodate the heel height change and the prostheses users should be cautious to choose shoes in daily life. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.