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This study was designed to identify the effects of foot position on electromyographic (EMG) activity of the quadriceps femoris during maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) in standing. Twenty young adults who had not experienced any knee injuries were recruited. Their Q-angles were within a normal range. They were asked to stand in five different foot positions ( externally rotated, internally rotated, neutral, plantarflexed, and dorsiflexed foot position). The EMG activities of the vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF), and vastus medialis oblique (VMO) were recorded in standing by surface electrodes and normalized by MVC EMG values derived from manual muscle test. The normalized EMG activity levels (%MVC EMG) of muscles in the five foot positions were compared using repeated measures ANOVA. The EMG activity levels of the VL, RF, and VMO were the highest when foot was externally rotated. The EMG activity levels of the VL and RF were significantly different among the foot positions (p<.05). However, EMG activity levels of the VL, RF, VMO, and VMO/VL ratio did not show significant differences in each foot position (p> .05). The results suggest that the quadriceps femoris may be effectively activated by performing MVC at an externally rotated foot position. Therefore, the externally rotated foot position can be considered as an effective foot position for quadriceps femoris strengthening exercise. Further studies are needed to identify whether there are differences in the effects of foot position on muscle strength after MVC exercise of quadriceps femoris in standing.
