• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of patellar height on quadriceps muscles' electromyography (EMG) activity during a squat exercise in adults with patella baja. For the study, we recruited 15 volunteers who had patella baja on the right side. We measured the EMG activity of the right rectus femoris, vastus medialis oblique, and vastus lateralis muscles during squat exercises under two conditions, specifically with and without an infra-patellar strap. The infra-patellar strap was applied below the tested patella to elevate the patella to a normal height. A paired t-test was used to compare the effects of patella height on EMG activity of the quadriceps muscles. The EMG activity of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus medialis oblique (VMO), and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles were significantly decreased during the squat exercise with the infra-patellar strap compared to the same exercise without the infra-patellar strap (p<.05), while the VMO/VL ratio was not different significantly between two conditions (p>.05). The findings of this study suggest that an infra-patellar strap may benefit people with patellar baja, as changes in patellar height could improve the efficiency of the quadriceps muscles.