Background: The longitudinal arch is important for individuals with pes planus. The toe spread out exercise (TSO) has been widely used to continuously support the longitudinal arch by increasing the abductor hallucis (AbdH) muscle activation. However, the AbdH muscle is commonly lack of the sufficient activation during the TSO especially in individuals with pes planus. Objects: This study was performed to investigate the effect of arch support on the muscle activity and strength of the AbdH during TSO in standing position in individuals with pes planus. Methods: Twenty subjects with pes planus between 20 and 30 years of age participated in this study. The muscle activity and strength of the AbdH were measured using surface EMG system and the Smart KEMA tensiometer system. The AbdH muscle was evaluated during TSO between individuals with and without longitudinal arch support in standing position. The longitudinal arch was supported by using the insole. The paired t-test was used. The level of statistical significance was set at α = 0.05. Results: The muscle activity and strength of the AbdH during TSO with arch support in standing position was significantly greater than that without arch support. Conclusion: The muscle activity and strength of the AbdH during TSO in standing position can be influenced by the longitudinal arch support in individuals with pes planus. The AbdH strengthening during TSO in standing with arch support can be recommended especially in individuals with pes planus in the clinical settings.

Background: Stroke patients require arm movement exercising for various stimulations in standing position for various stimulations rather than in a sitting position because they require integrated skillful movements, such as stretching, holding, and controlling. Objective: This study was conducted to provide foundational clinical data about lower limb global synkinesis in stroke patients using arm movements in a standing position. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: The subjects were divided into a control group (n = 10) and an experimental group (n = 10), and a pre-test was conducted to evaluate leg global synkinesis (GS) and balance. Intervention method is stretching an arm to hold a ball, repeating supination and pronation of the hand only while maintaining the arm extended as much as possible, repeating shoulder abduction and adduction while holding the pegboard. This was followed by a three-week intervention during which re-measurement was conducted in the same way as was done for the pre-test. Results: The control group showed a significant difference in GS and balance during plantar flexion (p<.05), and the experimental group showed a significant difference in GS and balance during all movements (p<.05, p<.01, respectively). There was a significant difference in GS and balance between the two groups during dorsiflexion (p<.05, p<.01, respectively). Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that human arm movements in a standing position can reduce GS in the affected limb, and balance can be improved by stimulating the surrounding tissues of the affected limb and changing them positively.

Background: Short foot exercise (SFex) is often prescribed and performed in the sport and rehabilitation fields to strengthen intrinsic foot muscles. However, SFex is difficult to perform because of lack of feedback methods. Objects: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of SFex with and without electromyography (EMG) biofeedback on the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) of healthy individuals who maintained a static standing position. Methods: All participants (14 males and 12 females) were randomly divided into two groups (biofeedback and non-biofeedback groups). The EMG activity of the abductor hallucis (AbdH) and tibialis anterior (TA) and the MLA angle on the dominant leg side were measured with the participant in the standing position in the pre- and post-intervention conditions. The intervention session consisted of 15 minutes of SFex with (biofeedback group) or without (non-biofeedback group) EMG biofeedback. The groups were compared using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The post-intervention activities of the AbdH muscle (p<.05) and the AbdH/TA ratio (p<.05) were significantly greater in the biofeedback group than in the non-biofeedback group. The activity of the TA (p<.05) and the MLA angle (p<.05) in the biofeedback group were significantly lower in the post-intervention condition than in the pre-intervention condition. Conclusion: The present findings demonstrate that the combination of SFex and EMG biofeedback can effectively facilitate the muscle activity of the AbdH and strengthen the medial longitudinal arch.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the standing balance could be influenced by the different foot positions. Seventeen patients with hemiplegia were tested for the static and dynamic balance under the different foot positions. In the balance test, subject stood by bearing weight on one foot, and the other foot was positioned in three different positions (symmetric, anterolateral, and anterior position). This study used the Kinesthetic ability trainer (KAT2000) to measure the standing balance. The results were as follows: 1) There were significant differences in the static standing balance in different foot positions with both weight-bearing on the paretic limb and on the nonparetic limb (p<.05). 2) There were also significant differences in the dynamic standing balance in different foot positions with both weight-bearing on the paretic limb and on the nonparetic limb (p<.05). 3) There was a significant difference when the paretic weight-bearing and the nonparetic weight-bearing were compared (p<.01). 4) when the paretic weight-bearing and the nonparetic weight-bearing were compared, anterior foot position showed a significant difference in the dynamic standing balance (p<.05), but anterolateral foot position did not show a significant difference (p>.05). In this study, the standing balance showed a significant difference according to different foot positions in hemiparetic patients, and standing balance was better when they stood by bearing weight on the nonparetic limb. These results indicate that it is a necessary to consider both weight-bearing limb and foot position not only in the rehabilitation program but also in achieving the stability in the independent life.

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.