The Changes of Muscle Activities of Leg during Stair down in Subjects with Flatfoot

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to identify the muscle activity of leg during stair down in the subjects with flatfoot and normal foot. Methods : The fourteen subjects with the flatfoot group and the fifteen subjects with the normal foot group volunteered for this study. All subjects descended the stairs that the height was 20cm and consisted 25 stairs. The target muscles for recording muscle activity were posterior fiber of gluteus medius, vastus medialis and vastus lateralis oblique, semitendinosus and biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, and medial and lateral fiber of gastrocnemius muscles. The muscle activity was recorded using the wireless EMG system. Results : The flatfoot group had significantly lower the muscle activity of posterior fiber of gluteus medius than the normal foot group in stance phase during stair down(p<.05). The flatfoot group had significantly higher the muscle activity of biceps femoris and tibialis anterior than the normal foot group in swing phase during stair down(p<.05). Conclusions : This study proposed that the subject with flatfoot should train the strengthening exercise for posterior fiber of gluteus medius.