Immediate Effect of Foot Insole on Electromyography Activity Ratio of VMO and VL Muscles During One-Leg Drop Jump

Although the biomechanical effects of insole on optimization of movement patterns, especially in the lower limbs in rehabilitation sciences, have been documented, the effect of applying it in modifying sports basic movement patterns is not well-known. The aim of present study was to investigate the effect of three foot insoles (rigid, semi-rigid, and soft) on electromyography activity ratio of VMO and VL muscles.
A total of 13 male participants took part in the present semi-experimental study. Electromyography activities of Vastus Medialis Obliqe (VMO) and Vastus Lateralis (VL) muscles were recorded and VMO/VL ratio was compared in four conditions: wearing only shoes, soft-sole, semi-sole, and rigid-sole during one-leg drop jump. ANOVA with Repeated measures test was used for data analyses (p The VMO muscle activation in soft-sole condition significantly increased in comparison with semi-rigid condition in the eccentric phase (P Considering the influence of rigid insole on increasing the VMO/VL ratio during the execution of drop jump task, it seems that using rigid insole may be useful in improving and expediting individual's rehabilitation with imbalance problems between VMO and VL muscles during jumping tasks.