A comparison in the muscle activity of the abductor hallucis and the medial longitudinal arch angle during toe curl and short foot exercises

ObjectiveTo compare the muscle activity of the abductor hallucis (AbdH) and the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) angle during toe curl (TC) and short foot (SF) exercises while sitting or in one-leg standing position.DesignTwo-way repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze the effects of exercise type and position on the muscle activity of the AbdH and the MLA angle.ParticipantsTwenty subjects with normal feet participated in this study.Main outcome measuresThe muscle activity of the AbdH and the MLA angle were measured during TC and SF exercises while sitting or in one-leg standing position.ResultsThe EMG activity of AbdH in SF exercise was significantly greater than during TC exercise in both exercise postural positions (p < 0.001). During the SF exercise, the EMG activity of the AbdH in the one-leg standing position was significantly higher than that while sitting (p < 0.001). The MLA angle in SF exercise was significantly smaller than during TC exercise in both postural positions (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThese results suggest that SF exercise is a more useful strengthening exercise than TC exercise in activating the AbdH muscle.