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T. Abiko1, S. Murata1, Y. Kai1, H. Nakano1, D. Matsuo2, M. Kawaguchi2
1Kyoto Tachibana University, Physical Therapy, Kyoto, Japan, 2ASICS Trading Company Limited, Kobe, Japan
Background: Our previous results showed that toe-grip bar insoles improved toe-grip strength and postural sway among elderly women and increased running speed among children. However, no study has yet determined whether the toe-grip bar insoles change the muscle activity of crural muscle which active with toe-grip muscle and gait parameters during walking.
Purpose: The present study aimed to compare the muscle activities and gait parameters between the toe-grip bar insoles and general insoles during walking.
Methods: A randomized crossover design was used in which twelve healthy men were randomly divided into two sequences of insole conditions. Temporal and spatial gait parameters and EMG results were concurrently collected during subjects walked along an 8-m walkway with the developed and general insoles. Developed insoles provide a three-dimensional mesh structure at the toe portion and a convex bulging structure (toe-grip bar) near the center of the proximal phalanx of the first to fifth toe. The linear mixed model was used to estimate the toe-grip bar insole effect (treatment effect). The model contained the fixed effects for the toe-grip bar insole, sequence (order of the insole), and period (order of time).
Results: The analysis showed that there were no sequence or period effects for any of the examined parameters. During the stance phase, those wearing the developed insoles had significantly higher %IEMG for the TA, GM, and GL than those wearing the general insoles (TA: 5.03 %IEMG, p = 0.005, GM: 4.65 %IEMG, p=0.046, GL: 6.50 %IEMG, p = 0.008). During the swing phase, those wearing the developed insoles had significantly higher activity for only the TA compared to those wearing the general insoles (5.54 %IEMG, p = 0.011). With respect to gait parameter, those wearing the developed insoles had greater step length (2.81cm, p = 0.038), longer stance time (0.03sec, p = 0.001) and shorter swing time (-0.02sec, p = 0.003) compared to those wearing the general insoles. The results suggest that walking with toe-grip bar insoles contributes to increased crural muscle activity, and step length.
Conclusion(s): The present study showed that walking with toe-grip bar insoles increased the EMG activities of the TA, GM, and GL during the stance phase but only the TA during the swing phase. Moreover, the developed insoles significantly increased step length.
Implications: The results presented suggest that walking with toe-grip bar insoles contributes to increasing the activity of crural muscle as toe-grip muscle and step length independent on walking speed.
Funding, acknowledgements: No funding to declare.
Keywords: insole, electromyogram, spatiotemporal gait parameters
Topic: Orthopaedics
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Kyoto Tachibana University
Committee: Kyoto Tachibana University
Ethics number: 19-20
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
