Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a laterally wedged insole on muscle activation, center of pressure, and pelvic motion during treadmill walking. Ten healthy subjects participated in this study. They walked at 3 km/h on a treadmill with and without a laterally elevated insole. Electromyographic data from the right leg muscles, a change in foot pressure during walking, tracking of the center of pressure (COP), and a video recording of pelvic motion were simultaneously collected, and each data set was compared for walking with and without the wedge. Electromyographic analysis showed that the insole caused a significant increase in peroneous longus muscle activity from foot flat to the mid stance phase. The COP was seen to shift to the lateral side during the heel contact phase, when the insole was used. However, the COP shifted to the medial side during the terminal stance. The pelvic sway during the stance phase did not show any change. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that a laterally wedged insole caused the COP to move laterally, and to generate a change in activity of the peroneous longus.
