Comparison of Selective Activation of the Abductor Hallucis during Various Exercises

Abstract

Abstract. [Purpose] Several exercises aim to strengthen the abductor hallucis (AbdH) of the foot arch which acts as a shock absorber. The purpose of the present study was to compare various exercises designed to strengthen the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) by selectively recruiting the AbdH in order to identify the most effective exercise method.[Subjects] Six males and six females participated in this study.[Methods] We selected and compared 5 exercises, which are known to be effective exercises.[Result] The exercise giving the highest EMG activation was EX 2 (64.43% MVIC). The second highest activation was found in EX 4 (40.50% MVIC). EMG values in EX 1 (40.12% MVIC), EX 4 and EX 5 (34.34% MVIC) were higher than in EX 3 (18.59% MVIC). EX 3 gave the lowest EMG activation of the 5 exercises.[Conclusion] The MLA plays an important role in gait and energy efficiency. Therefore, new exercises should be designed and existing exercises should be extended to incorporate new movements.

Morphology of the Toe Flexor Muscles in Older Adults With Toe Deformities

“…While foot exercises generally appear to be effective in increasing toe strength and improving physical performance in older adults (33), there is little evidence yet to support targeted foot strengthening programs for people with toe deformities. Additionally, performing great toe resisted abduction exercises was found to activate the abductor hallucis muscle more than toe spread or short-foot exercises (34), but this was also in healthy young adults. Interestingly, the short-foot exercise has been shown to increase the CSA of the abductor hallucis muscle (28); however, this was in a study of young adults with pes planus.…”

Ultrasonic evaluation of the abductor hallucis muscle in hallux valgus: a cross-sectional observational study

“…Although previous studies have demonstrated foot exercises can activate the abductor hallucis muscle, these studies were conducted on participants with pes planus (flatfeet) [27] or asymptomatic feet [28]. Heo [28] reported that the highest electromyographic activation of the muscle occurred with isolated abduction of the hallux against resistance. However, voluntary abduction of the hallux, which is deemed to be challenging in healthy individuals [20], may also prove difficult to those with foot deformity.…”

“…Previous studies have employed a variety of techniques to investigate the abductor hallucis muscle including electromyography (EMG) [20,22,25-28], magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [29], and musculoskeletal ultrasound [23,24,30,31]. Previous research has shown good correlation of soft tissue imaging as well as similar reliability between MRI and ultrasound [32,33].…”

The Relationship between Activity of Abductor Hallucis and Navicular Drop in the One-leg Standing Position

“…In addition, the strength of the AH in subjects with excessive foot pronation is less than that in subjects with normal foot pronation. Therefore, short foot exercises are recommended for activating the AH 32,33) . Jung et al reported that the AH plays a role in plantarflexion, which stabilizes the midfoot against the ground during the stance phase of gait 31) .…”