Changes in lower limb muscle activity based on angle of ankle abduction during lunge exercise.
Yoonhee Choi, Sangyong Lee
PMID 29200630WHAT IT FOUND
During lunges, muscle activity was highest when the ankle was abducted to 60°, especially the vastus medialis oblique, in 15 healthy men.
Do not assume this improves patellofemoral pain without testing people with knee pain.
Key findings
01Muscle activity of RF, VL, and VMO differed across ankle abduction angles of 0°, 20°, 40°, and 60° during lunges.
02Post hoc testing found VMO activity was significantly higher when ankle abduction was 60°.
03The table reports VMO activity as 44.2 ± 24.0 at 0° and 63.6 ± 33.8 at 60°.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 15 healthy young men were tested, so the results may not apply to women, older adults, or people with knee problems. The outcome was muscle activity during a five-second lunge, not pain, function, strength gains, or injury outcomes. The paper does not state how the ankle abduction angles were produced or whether the order of positions was randomised. The authors suggest 60° is most effective for selective VMO strengthening, but that conclusion comes from muscle activity in healthy participants, not from patient outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that 60° ankle abduction treats patellofemoral pain. The study measured muscle activity in 15 healthy men during lunges and did not test pain, function, or patients.