Muscle activation pattern of gluteus medius, tibialis anterior and peroneus longus during drop landing on different surfaces: a cross-sectional study

Background: Gluteus medius (GMeds), peroneus longus (PL), and tibialis anterior (TA) help in maintaining frontal stability of the lower extremity, particularly, the ankle. Muscle activation must be sufficient to prevent the occurrence of an ankle sprain. The purpose of this study is to compare the muscle activation of the GMeds, TA, and PL during drop landing on stable and unstable surfaces of physically active individuals. Methods: Surface EMG (sEMG) was used to determine the muscle activation pattern of the GMeds, TA, and PL of fifteen (15) recreational athletes during drop landing. The mean percentage of maximum voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC) was calculated for comparison. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare means. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the muscle activity of GMeds (p=0.69), TA (p=0.26), and PL (p=0.23) on stable and unstable surfaces. However, a small effect size showed that GMeds (d=0.30) has higher activation in the unstable surface while TA (d=0.28) and PL (d=0.17) have lower activation on unstable surface. Conclusion : Landing surface does not significantly alter muscle activity of GMeds, TA, and PL. However, the magnitude of the difference in the mean %MVIC between groups shows the compensatory mechanism of the body when subjected to different surface conditions. This can be used when creating injury prevention programs of the lower extremity.