Abnormal foot motion is considered to be related to sports related injuries. This study aimed to identify the relationship between calf muscle activity and inter-segment coordination of the foot during single-leg drop jumps. Eleven healthy men participated and performed single-leg drop jumps from a 30-cm box. Muscle activity of the tibialis posterior (TP), flexor digitorum longus, peroneus longus (PL) and gastrocnemius were measured. The rearfoot and midfoot segment angle from landing to leaping were calculated according to the Rizzoli Foot Model and time scaled to 100%. A modified vector coding technique was employed to classify inter-segment coordination of every 1% into four patterns (in-phase, anti-phase, rearfoot phase,and midfoot phase). The relationship between percentage of each pattern and muscle activity levels were statistically analysed with correlation coefficient. The TP showed a significant positive correlation with percentage of in-phase in coronal plane (r = 0.61, p = 0.045). The PL also showed a trend of positive correlation to in-phase in coronal plane (r = 0.59, p = 0.058). TP and PL muscle activities may modulate the inter-segment coordination between the rearfoot and midfoot in coronal plane. Clinically, these muscles should be assessed for abnormal inter-segment foot motion.
Keywords: Modified vector coding technique; calf muscles; fine-wire electromyography; foot; inter-segment coordination.