Electromyographic changes in muscles around the ankle and the knee joints in women accustomed to wearing high-heeled or low-heeled shoes

Objectives This study aimed to investigate muscle activities in the muscles around the ankle and knee joints in women accustomed to wearing high-heeled or low-heeled shoes. Methodology Forty young women (age: 18–40 years) participated in this comparative clinical study. Twenty of the recruited subjects were accustomed to high-heeled shoes and the other half to low-heeled shoes. Electrical activities of the ankle and knee muscles in both groups with and without wearing their accustomed shoes were studied during walking. Results Tibialis anterior and the medial gastrocnemius muscles started contraction earlier in the high-heeled shoe group. The duration of medial gastrocnemius activity and the intensity of proneus longus activity were significantly more in the high-heeled shoe group. Conclusion Wearing high-heeled shoe for a long time could result in over work of muscles such as medial gastrocnemius and proneus longus by increasing the duration or the intensity of their contractions during walking.