Gastrocnemius tightness on joint angle and work of lower extremity during gait.
BACKGROUND
Muscular tightness is a common clinical musculoskeletal disorder and is regarded as a predisposing factor for muscle injuries. In this study, a two-way mixed design ANOVA was applied to investigate the effects of the gastrocnemius tightness on the joint angle and joint work during walking.


METHODS
Twenty-two patients with muscular tightness of gastrocnemius muscle (<12 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion with knee extended) and 22 age- and gender-matched subjects with normal gastrocnemius flexibility (>15 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion with knee extended) participated in this study. The joint angle and work at hip, knee, and ankle joints during the stance phase were analyzed at two preset cadences of 100 steps/min and 140 steps/min.


RESULTS
Significantly greater flexion angles at hip (P=0.025) and knee (P=0.001) were found in the tightness group at the time of maximal ankle dorsiflexion. Significantly less work generation at knee (P=0.034) and greater work absorption at ankle (P=0.024) were detected in the tightness group.


CONCLUSIONS
The subjects with gastrocnemius tightness revealed a compensatory gait pattern, which included the changes in the joint angles and associated work productions. The potential disturbance of the knee control and strain injuries of plantar flexors might be crucial in the clinical considerations for subjects with gastrocnemius tightness.
You
Jia-Yuan
JY
Department of Physical Therapy, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung County, Taiwan.
Lee
Hsin-Min
HM
Luo
Hong-Ji
HJ
Leu
Chwan-Chin
CC
Cheng
Pen-Gang
PG
Wu
Shyi-Kuen
SK
D000328:Adult; D004735:Energy Transfer; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009129:Muscle Tonus / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D016138:Walking; D055815:Young Adult