Isokinetics and Exercise Science - Volume 25, issue 4

Authors: Park, Sun-Ju | Shim, Su-Jin | Choi, Bo-Ram

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: When various balance exercises are combined with strengthening or stretching exercises, the specific effects of any individual balance exercise are unclear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare muscle activation and ratio in the quadriceps, hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscles in balance exercises. METHODS: In total, 20 healthy volunteers participated. The balance exercises consisted of standing on one-leg stand, a lunge, and trunk rotation. Electromyography data were collected from lateral quadriceps (LQ), lateral hamstring (LH), lateral gastrocnemius (LG), medial quadriceps (MQ), medial hamstring (MH), and medial gastrocnemius (MG). One-way repeated-measures analysis …of variance was used to assess the statistical significance of the muscle activation, muscle co-activation, and the muscle activation/co-activation ratio in the balance exercises. RESULTS: Compared with the other exercises, co-activation of the MQMH, LQLH, and LHLG increased significantly during the lunge (P < 0.05). During the lunge, the increase in LQLH and LHLG co-activation was significantly greater than that in MQMH and MHMG co-activation (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Co-activation of lateral muscles was greater than in the medial muscles during lunge exercises with repeated lunge exercise potentially causing lateral knee joint compression. Therefore, physical therapists and/or athletic trainers should pay specific attention to use of lunge exercise within the framework of balance exercise program. Show more

Keywords: Balance exercise, lunge, one-leg stand, muscle co-activation

DOI: 10.3233/IES-173154

Citation: Isokinetics and Exercise Science, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 309-316, 2017