Changes in muscle activities and kinematics due to simulated leg length inequalities
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Hannah Lena Siebers
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Jörg Eschweiler
Abstract
Muscle imbalances are a leading cause of musculoskeletal problems. One example are leg length inequalities (LLIs). This study aimed to analyze the effect of different (simulated) LLIs on back and leg muscles in combination with kinematic compensation mechanics. Therefore, 20 healthy volunteers were analyzed during walking with artificial LLIs (0–4 cm). The effect of different amounts of LLIs and significant differences to the reference condition without LLI were calculated of maximal joint angles, mean muscle activity, and its symmetry index. While walking, LLIs led to higher muscle activity and asymmetry of back muscles, by increased lumbar lateral flexion and pelvic obliquity. The rectus femoris showed higher values, independent of the amount of LLI, whereas the activity of the gastrocnemius on the shorter leg increased. The hip and knee flexion of the long leg increased significantly with increasing LLIs, like the knee extension and the ankle plantarflexion of the shorter leg. The described compensation mechanisms are explained by a dynamic lengthening of the short and shortening of the longer leg, which is associated with increased and asymmetrical muscle activity. Presenting this overview is important for a better understanding of the effects of LLIs to improve diagnostic and therapy in the future.
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Research funding: The authors state no funding is involved.
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Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Informed consent: Informed consent has been obtained from all individuals included in this study.
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Ethical approval: The research related to human use complies with all the relevant national regulations, institutional policies and was performed in accordance with the tenets of the Helsinki Declaration, and has been approved by the authors’ institutional review board (EK 251/18).
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© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Changes in muscle activities and kinematics due to simulated leg length inequalities
- A principal component analysis (PCA) based assessment of the gait performance
- Classification of sleep apnea using EMD-based features and PSO-trained neural networks
- An efficient design for real-time obstructive sleep apnea OSA detection through esophageal pressure Pes signal
- Short duration Vectorcardiogram based inferior myocardial infarction detection: class and subject-oriented approach
- An improved parallel sub-filter adaptive noise canceler for the extraction of fetal ECG
- Classification of impedance cardiography dZ/dt complex subtypes using pattern recognition artificial neural networks
- No more rattling: biomechanical evaluation of a hexapod ring fixator free of play
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Changes in muscle activities and kinematics due to simulated leg length inequalities
- A principal component analysis (PCA) based assessment of the gait performance
- Classification of sleep apnea using EMD-based features and PSO-trained neural networks
- An efficient design for real-time obstructive sleep apnea OSA detection through esophageal pressure Pes signal
- Short duration Vectorcardiogram based inferior myocardial infarction detection: class and subject-oriented approach
- An improved parallel sub-filter adaptive noise canceler for the extraction of fetal ECG
- Classification of impedance cardiography dZ/dt complex subtypes using pattern recognition artificial neural networks
- No more rattling: biomechanical evaluation of a hexapod ring fixator free of play
