Comparison the Muscle Activation in the Trunk and Lower Limbs of Subjects Wearing High-Heeled or Flat Shoes While Crossing Over Obstacles of Different Heights

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare muscle activation of the trunk and lower limbs of subjects wearing high-heeled or flat shoes while crossing over obstacles of different heights. METHODS: Twenty subjects participated in this study. While wearing high-heeled shoes (7 cm) or flat shoes (0 cm), the subjects were asked to cross over obstacles of different heights (10%, 20%, and 30% of their lower-limb length). Muscle activation of the trunk and lower limbs with the supported side while crossing over obstacles of different heights was measured using the electromyogram (Noraxon, DTS, Germany). Two-way repeated ANOVA was used to compare the muscle activation between high-heel shoes and flat shoes while crossing over obstacles of different heights. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS ver. 21, and p-values less than .05 were used to identify significant differences. RESULTS: As an obstacle's height increased, muscle activation of the trunk and lower limbs with the supported side was increased while wearing either type of shoe, and it was generally higher while wearing high-heeled shoes. However, tibialis anterior muscle activity while wearing high-heeled shoes was lower than while wearing flat shoes. CONCLUSION: This study showed that muscle activation of the trunk and lower limbs was higher when subjects wore high-heeled shoes than when they wore flat shoes while crossing over obstacles of different heights. Therefore, high-heeled shoes can easily cause high muscle fatigue of the trunk and lower limbs, and the TA muscle may weaken in persons who wear high-heeled shoes.