Comparison of ankle plantar flexor activity between double-leg heel raise and walking

Abstract

[Purpose] We aimed to evaluate the difference in the muscle activity between the double-leg heel raise (DHR) and treadmill walking. [Subjects] Thirty healthy males aged 21.5 ± 1.6 years (body mass 63.6 ± 9.3 kg, height 171.0 ± 4.5 cm) participated in the study. [Methods] Electromyograms were simultaneously recorded from both heads of the gastrocnemius and the soleus of the right side during the DHR and treadmill walking. The DHR conditions were maximum plantar flexion (MPF), 3/4 MPF, 2/4 MPF, and 1/4 MPF, and the walking speeds were 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 m/min. [Results] The muscle activity during the DHR and walking significantly increased with increments in the height of the heel raise and walking speed, respectively. Comparison of the muscle activity at MPF with that at each walking speed revealed that the muscle activity in the soleus and gastrocnemius medial head during walking exceeded that during the DHR in less than 3.3% of cases. [Conclusion] The DHR test is useful for evaluating the ankle plantar flexor activity necessary for walking.

Achilles Tendon Loading During Heel-Raising and -Lowering Exercises

“…These differences could be related to the effect of wearing typical footwear as well as musculoskeletal model estimates of muscle force. These findings are somewhat consistent with those of Fujisawa et al, 24 who used electromyography to examine muscle activation during a bilateral heel-raising and -lowering exercise and treadmill walking. Walking speeds between 20 and 100 m/min resulted in less muscle activation of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles than that of a maximum-effort bilateral heel-raising movement throughout the plantar-flexion ROM.…”

“…Also, they used an electrogoniometer designed to measure angular motion in the sagittal plane, which was different than the motion-capture methods of our study. In contrast, Fujisawa et al 24 reported a maximum plantar-flexion angle during a bilateral heel raise of 508 6 68. This higher amount may be attributed to the emphasis these authors placed on achieving maximum plantar flexion, whereas our participants received no specific instructions about heel-raise height or motion other than to perform maximum ROM while matching the exercise cadence from our metronome.…”

Calf-raise senior: a new test for assessment of plantar flexor muscle strength in older adults: protocol, validity, and reliability

“…These findings confirm the assumption that the execution of movements in unipedal support and/or that the predefined pace from the rhythm of a metronome are too difficult for most seniors, who usually have balance problems, hearing difficulties, low levels of strength, and many of them are quite sedentary and present substantial declines in their physical capacity. Fujisawa et al32 evaluated the difference in muscle activity between the double-leg heel raise and treadmill walking in a sample of 30 young healthy males (21.5±1.6 years), and their results also supported the decision to use bilateral support during the CRS protocol. This study revealed that the muscle activity in the soleus and gastrocnemius during the CR test was similar to that in walking, demonstrating its usefulness for evaluating the ankle plantar flexor functionality.…”

“…Participants were instructed to perform the calf-raise movement continuously during 30 seconds, in each selected task, in a random order, with an interval rest of 3 minutes between them, using the number of raises as an outcome measurement. They were evaluated in four different tasks, which combined the following features: A) unilateral limb support;25,29 B) bilateral limb support;16,32 C) predetermined rate of 60 repetitions⋅min −1 defined by metronome;15,26,35 and D) maximum repetitions in 30 seconds using a self-determined pace 20. The participants were barefoot, heels on the ground, knees extended, using their fingers supported on a wall for balance.…”

“…Moreover, most studies restrict the administration of this test to the young adult25,29 and child population,30,31 and existing protocols are too difficult for older adults 32. To the authors’ knowledge, there is no study that has validated CRT for assessing older adults’ performance, and the few studies targeting this population were not conducted for that purpose 15–17…”