Tibialis anterior tendinous tissue plays a key role in energy absorption during human walking

Maharaj, Jayishni N.; Cresswell, Adrian Ben; Lichtwark, Glen A.

doi:10.1242/jeb.191247

Cited by 15 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 39 publications

(40 reference statements)

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“…3 ). During normal walking, the TA muscle–tendon unit plays an important role in absorbing energy during the early period of the braking phase [ 30 ]. The TA functions to control the plantarflexion torque induced at the ankle joint, caused by the braking force generated by the leg as it makes contact with the ground [ 28 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This forward force generated by the left arm and leg connection decreased the need for propulsion in the left leg but increased the demand for braking in the right leg. As such, an increase in the right tibialis anterior muscle activity occurred (bright red) Vega and Arellano J NeuroEngineering Rehabil (2021) 18:96 walking, the TA muscle-tendon unit plays an important role in absorbing energy during the early period of the braking phase [30]. The TA functions to control the plantarflexion torque induced at the ankle joint, caused by the braking force generated by the leg as it makes contact with the ground [28].…”

Section: Swing Phase (Fig 5b)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using a simple rope-pulley system that mechanically couples the arms, legs, and treadmill reduces the metabolic cost of walking

Vega

Arellano

2021

J NeuroEngineering Rehabil

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Background Emphasizing the active use of the arms and coordinating them with the stepping motion of the legs may promote walking recovery in patients with impaired lower limb function. Yet, most approaches use seated devices to allow coupled arm and leg movements. To provide an option during treadmill walking, we designed a rope-pulley system that physically links the arms and legs. This arm-leg pulley system was grounded to the floor and made of commercially available slotted square tubing, solid strut channels, and low-friction pulleys that allowed us to use a rope to connect the subject’s wrist to the ipsilateral foot. This set-up was based on our idea that during walking the arm could generate an assistive force during arm swing retraction and, therefore, aid in leg swing. Methods To test this idea, we compared the mechanical, muscular, and metabolic effects between normal walking and walking with the arm-leg pulley system. We measured rope and ground reaction forces, electromyographic signals of key arm and leg muscles, and rates of metabolic energy consumption while healthy, young subjects walked at 1.25 m/s on a dual-belt instrumented treadmill (n = 8). Results With our arm-leg pulley system, we found that an assistive force could be generated, reaching peak values of 7% body weight on average. Contrary to our expectation, the force mainly coincided with the propulsive phase of walking and not leg swing. Our findings suggest that subjects actively used their arms to harness the energy from the moving treadmill belt, which helped to propel the whole body via the arm-leg rope linkage. This effectively decreased the muscular and mechanical demands placed on the legs, reducing the propulsive impulse by 43% (p < 0.001), which led to a 17% net reduction in the metabolic power required for walking (p = 0.001). Conclusions These findings provide the biomechanical and energetic basis for how we might reimagine the use of the arms in gait rehabilitation, opening the opportunity to explore if such a method could help patients regain their walking ability. Trial registration: Study registered on 09/29/2018 in ClinicalTrials.gov (ID—NCT03689647).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Swing Phase (Fig 5b)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Using a simple rope-pulley system that mechanically couples the arms, legs, and treadmill reduces the metabolic cost of walking

Vega

Arellano

2021

J NeuroEngineering Rehabil

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“…During the early swing, the TA actively shortens for ankle dorsiflexion and for clearing the toes from the ground. However, the majority of the shortening of TA occurs through tendinous tissue recoil at the fast walking speed, highlighting its role in accelerating ankle dorsiflexion [ 25 ]. Our results imply that walking speed at 3.6 mph (brisk walking speed) and 5.4 mph (slow running) may easily cause TA fatigue.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of various walking intensities on leg muscle fatigue and plantar pressure distributions

Lung

Liau

Peters

et al. 2021

BMC Musculoskelet Disord

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Background Physical activity may benefit health and reduce risk for chronic complications in normal and people with diabetes and peripheral vascular diseases. However, it is unclear whether leg muscle fatigue after weight-bearing physical activities, such as brisk walking, may increase risk for plantar tissue injury. In the literature, there is no evidence on the effect of muscle fatigue on plantar pressure after various walking intensities. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of various walking intensities on leg muscle fatigue and plantar pressure patterns. Methods A 3 × 2 factorial design, including 3 walking speeds (1.8 (slow and normal walking), 3.6 (brisk walking), and 5.4 (slow running) mph) and 2 walking durations (10 and 20 min) for a total of 6 walking intensities, was tested in 12 healthy participants in 3 consecutive weeks. The median frequency and complexity of electromyographic (EMG) signals of tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius medialis (GM) were used to quantify muscle fatigue. Fourier transform was used to compute the median frequency and multiscale entropy was used to calculate complexity of EMG signals. Peak plantar pressure (PPP) values at the 4 plantar regions (big toe, first metatarsal head, second metatarsal head, and heel) were calculated. Results Two-way ANOVA showed that the walking speed (at 1.8, 3.6, 5.4 mph) significantly affected leg muscle fatigue, and the duration factor (at 10 and 20 min) did not. The one-way ANOVA showed that there were four significant pairwise differences of the median frequency of TA, including walking speed of 1.8 and 3.6 mph (185.7 ± 6.1 vs. 164.9 ± 3.0 Hz, P = 0.006) and 1.8 and 5.4 mph (185.7 ± 6.1 vs. 164.5 ± 5.5 Hz, P = 0.006) for the 10-min duration; and walking speed of 1.8 and 3.6 mph (180.0 ± 5.9 vs. 163.1 ± 4.4 Hz, P = 0.024) and 1.8 and 5.4 mph (180.0 ± 5.9 vs. 162.8 ± 4.9 Hz, P = 0.023) for the 20-min duration. The complexity of TA showed a similar trend with the median frequency of TA. The median frequency of TA has a significant negative correlation with PPP on the big toe ( r = -0.954, P = 0.003) and the first metatarsal head ( r = -0.896, P = 0.016). Conclusions This study demonstrated that brisk walking and slow running speeds (3.6 and 5.4 mph) cause an increase in muscle fatigue of TA compared to slow walking speed (1.8 mph); and the increased muscle fatigue is significantly related to a higher PPP.

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“…The TAM plays an important role in dorsiflexion and inversion of the foot, which is important for maintaining balance [5] and for clearing and lowering the foot during the swing phase of gait [5][6][7]. The TAM also plays a key role in energy absorption during walking [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anatomical Variations of the Tibialis Anterior Tendon Insertion: An Updated and Comprehensive Review

Zielinska

Tubbs

Paulsen

et al. 2021

JCM

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The tibialis anterior muscle originates on the lateral condyle of the tibia, on the upper two-thirds of the lateral surface of this bone, on the anterior surface of the interosseous membrane and on the deep surface of the fascia cruris. The distal attachment is typically at the medial cuneiform and first metatarsal. However, the tibialis anterior tendon can vary morphologically in both adults and fetuses. Different authors have created new classification systems for it. The main aim of this review is to present condensed information about the tibialis anterior tendon based on the available literature. Another aim is to compare classification systems and the results of previous studies.

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Tibialis anterior tendinous tissue plays a key role in energy absorption during human walking

Cited by 15 publications

References 39 publications

Using a simple rope-pulley system that mechanically couples the arms, legs, and treadmill reduces the metabolic cost of walking

Using a simple rope-pulley system that mechanically couples the arms, legs, and treadmill reduces the metabolic cost of walking

Effects of various walking intensities on leg muscle fatigue and plantar pressure distributions

Anatomical Variations of the Tibialis Anterior Tendon Insertion: An Updated and Comprehensive Review

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