Sports Physical Therapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, School of Physical Education and Sports Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
Hum Mov Sci. 2020 Feb;69:102563. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2019.102563. Epub 2019 Dec 20.
The ankle joint, a part of the kinetic chain of the lower limb, plays a significant role in the maintenance of postural stability during bipedal and unipedal balancing activities. This study aimed to evaluate the neuromuscular control of the ankle joint and the postural stability while executing the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), by recording the EMG activity of the extrinsic ankle musculature and the displacement of the center of pressure (CoP).
The EMG activity of the tibialis anterior (TA), the peroneus brevis (PB) and the medial and lateral gastrocnemius (GM, GL), along with the anteroposterior and mediolateral displacements (APd and MLd) of CoP as well as the plantar pressure distribution of the supportive lower limb were recorded during reaching to the eight directions of SEBT in 29 healthy, physically active college students (15 males and 14 females; mean ± SD of age 25.6 ± 4.5 yrs.; height: 172.5 ± 8.2 cm; body weight: 67.7 ± 13.6 kg; and BMI: 22.6 ± 2.9 kg/m).
The tibialis anterior muscle demonstrated the greatest EMG activity during SEBT, followed by the PB, GL and GM muscles. The increased EMG activity of TA and PB during the execution of all posterior-oriented and lateral directions coincided with a decreased APd of CoP and increased reaching distances. The opposite occurred during the execution of all the anterior-oriented and medial directions. The differences among the directions of SEBT regarding the EMG activity of GL, GM and the mediolateral displacement of CoP were, in general, not significant.
The neuromuscular control of the ankle joint and the associated postural stability during SEBT was highly depended upon the activation level of TA and PB, which should be considered by clinicians and sports specialists when using this test for screening and/or rehabilitation purposes.
踝关节是下肢运动链的一部分，在双足和单足平衡活动中维持姿势稳定方面起着重要作用。本研究旨在通过记录外踝肌的肌电图（EMG）活动和中心压力点（CoP）的位移，评估踝关节的神经肌肉控制和在执行星型偏移平衡测试（SEBT）时的姿势稳定性。
在 29 名健康、活跃的大学生（15 名男性和 14 名女性；年龄的平均值±标准差为 25.6±4.5 岁；身高：172.5±8.2cm；体重：67.7±13.6kg；BMI：22.6±2.9kg/m）进行 SEBT 的八个方向的伸展时，记录了胫骨前肌（TA）、腓骨短肌（PB）以及内侧和外侧比目鱼肌（GM、GL）的 EMG 活动，以及 CoP 的前后和左右位移（APd 和 MLd）以及支撑下肢的足底压力分布。
在 SEBT 中，TA 肌肉的 EMG 活动最大，其次是 PB、GL 和 GM 肌肉。TA 和 PB 在执行所有后向和侧向方向时的 EMG 活动增加，与 CoP 的 APd 减小和伸展距离增加相对应。在执行所有前向和内侧方向时则相反。SEBT 的各个方向在 GL、GM 的 EMG 活动和 CoP 的左右位移方面的差异通常不显著。
在 SEBT 期间，踝关节的神经肌肉控制和相关的姿势稳定性高度依赖于 TA 和 PB 的激活水平，临床医生和运动专家在使用该测试进行筛查和/或康复目的时应考虑到这一点。
