370 Effect of Shoe Heel Height on Lower Limb Muscles Electromyographic Activity During Walking Available to Purchase

Most women frequently wear high heeled shoes, which may result in an increase in foot problem. This study aimed to investigate the effect of differing heel height on static balance and muscle activation of ankle joint during walking. Six young females volunteered to participate in this study to measure balance function and EMG activity of gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior and soleus muscles.The subjects were asked to perform a full gait cycle under 4 different heel heights: barefoot, 3cm, 6cm and 9cm each. During the walking, EMG activity of gastrocnemius medialis and gastrocnemius lateralis muscles were significantly augmented with increasing heel height ($p<0.05$). The findings indicate that high-heeled shoes may have disadvantages in maintaining balance function because of extra-muscular effort of ankle joint. This study provides useful information that will inform future studies on how heel height affects muscle activity around the ankle joint.