Acute Effects of Sedentary Behavior on Ankle Torque Assessed with a Custom-Made Electronic Dynamometer

Abstract

Inactivity negatively influences general health, and sedentary behaviour is known to impact the musculoskeletal system. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of time spent in active and sedentary behaviour on foot muscle strength. In this observational study, we compared the acute effects of one day of prolonged sitting and one day of low-to-moderate level of activity on ankle torque in one group of eight healthy participants. Peak ankle torque was measured using a portable custom-made electronic dynamometer. Three consecutive maximal voluntary isometric contractions for bilateral plantar flexor and dorsiflexor muscles were captured at different moments in time. The average peak torque significant statistically decreased at 6 h (p = 0.019) in both static and active behaviours, with a higher average peak torque in the active behaviour (p < 0.001). Age, gender, body mass index and average steps did not have any significant influence on the average value of maximal voluntary isometric contraction. The more time participants maintained either static or active behaviour, the less force was observed during ankle torque testation. The static behaviour represented by the sitting position was associated with a higher reduction in the average peak ankle torque during a maximal voluntary isometric contraction when compared to the active behaviour.

Causal Relationships Between Physical Activity and Arthrokinematic Integrity of the Ankle Joint-Foot Complex Across Normal and Pathological Phenomena: A Case-Control Analysis

“…The reason could be that a less active lifestyle results in the weakening of ankle and foot muscles and the tightening of the tendons of the posterior compartment of the leg, like the soleus and gastrocnemius, required for flexion of the ankle joint. In their 2022 study involving 80 healthy adults, Dragoi et al similarly stated that the static posture associated with sitting led to a more pronounced decrease in average peak ankle torque compared to active behavior [ 26 ].…”

“…In their 2022 study involving 80 healthy adults, Dragoi et al similarly stated that the static posture associated with sitting led to a more pronounced decrease in average peak ankle torque compared to active behavior [26].…”

A Signal Processing Method for Assessing Ankle Torque with a Custom-Made Electronic Dynamometer in Participants Affected by Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

“…Ankle torque measurements captured using a portable, custom-made electronic dynamometer in participants affected by DPN and healthy participants were selected for analysis. A total no of 776 measurements from different clinical studies were included (from one study [2], 48 measurements were selected, from which 4 measurements were considered errors; from a second study [13], 96 measurements were selected, from which 3 were considered errors; from a third study [15], 512 measurements were selected; from a fourth study, 120 measurements were selected, from which 1 was considered an error). From the total number of the selected measurements, 48 belonged to participants affected by DPN.…”

“…The hardware is briefly described here for reference. A detailed description of the hardware system and its components are presented elsewhere [2,13,15].…”