Assessment of Muscle Activation Patterns during Gait with Below-knee Prosthesis – Differences between Classic and Dynamic Foot

Summary

The aim of this study was to reveal muscle activation patterns on side of the lower limb with amputation and on opposite side, and to compare findings obtained by surface polyelectromyography (poly-EMG) in eleven subjects after transtibial amputation. Muscle activation was registered in every subject during walking with the use of two types of prosthetic foot (classic and dynamic). A registration of muscle activation was performed by means of 8-channel surface polyelectromyography at the subject’s natural pace and at a speed of 52 strides per min during walking on a carpet with contact sensors. Surface electrodes were placed on both sides above four muscles (vastus medialis, biceps femoris, gluteus maximus and erector spinae muscles) and their bioelectric activity was registered. Surface poly-EMG revealed that the first activated muscle was the biceps femoris muscle at the moment of heel strike and at the moment of toe-off, when both types of prostheses were used. Variable sequence of muscle activation was registered for three other muscles. The measurement of the muscle activation showed that the index “area” and index “mean” reached higher values in subjects with dynamic foot. It was found that the muscle activation patterns of the lower limb with below-knee prosthesis with the classic foot differed from ones obtained during walking with the dynamic foot.

Key words:
gait, polyelectromyography, transtibial amputation, below-knee prosthesis, classic foot, dynamic foot