Flat Feet, Lower-Limb Muscle Activation, Neuromuscular Response
Conditions
Keywords
Whole-Body Vibration, Regional Plantar Stimulation, Baduanjin, Surface Electromyography, Foot type
Brief summary
This study will examine how different short-term exercise and vibration conditions affect lower-limb muscle activity in young adults with flat feet and young adults with normal feet. Participants will complete several conditions, including whole-body vibration, whole-body vibration combined with plantar stimulation under different areas of the foot, and a Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. Surface electromyography sensors will be placed on the skin over selected lower-limb muscles to record muscle activity before and during each condition. Each participant will complete all study conditions in a balanced order. This study does not aim to treat flat feet or evaluate long-term clinical benefits. The purpose is to collect preliminary information on immediate muscle activation and foot discomfort, which may help design future studies on foot-related exercise, plantar stimulation, and rehabilitation training.
Detailed description
This is a prospective, exploratory, self-controlled crossover study designed to investigate the immediate effects of different exercise and vibration-based conditions on lower-limb muscle activation. Flat feet may be associated not only with structural changes of the foot arch, but also with altered neuromuscular control of the lower limb. Whole-body vibration provides a standardized mechanical stimulus, while Baduanjin heel-raise exercise represents an active movement-based training condition. Because the plantar surface is an important sensory input area, this study will also examine whether adding regional plantar stimulation to whole-body vibration produces different muscle activation patterns compared with whole-body vibration alone. Participants will be classified as having flat feet or normal feet based on foot type assessment. Each participant will complete all study conditions in a balanced order, including whole-body vibration alone, whole-body vibration combined with stimulation of different plantar regions, and Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. Surface electromyography will be used to record lower-limb muscle activity before and during each condition. This study is not designed to evaluate treatment efficacy or long-term clinical outcomes. Its purpose is to collect preliminary mechanistic data on immediate neuromuscular responses, which may inform future studies on plantar stimulation, vibration training, and individualized rehabilitation strategies.
Interventions
OTHERWhole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,Baduanjin
Participants will complete three types of intervention conditions. In the whole-body vibration condition, participants will stand barefoot on a vibration platform with feet about 20 cm apart and knees flexed at 20°-25°. Vibration will be delivered at 20 Hz and 2 mm for 60 seconds. In the whole-body vibration with regional plantar stimulation condition, the same vibration parameters and posture will be used, while a plantar stimulation module is placed on the platform. Four plantar regions will be stimulated separately: the toe region, metatarsal head region, medial plantar region, and lateral plantar region. In the Baduanjin condition, participants will perform a heel-raise movement derived from Baduanjin under professional guidance, completing six repetitions within 60 seconds.
Sponsors
Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
This is a self-controlled, repeated-measures crossover study. All participants will complete all study conditions, including whole-body vibration alone, whole-body vibration combined with regional plantar stimulation, and Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. The order of study conditions will be balanced using a Latin square design to reduce potential order effects. Participants will be classified as having flat feet or normal feet based on foot type assessment; this classification is used for stratified analysis and is not a randomized group assignment.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. College students aged 18 to 25, regardless of gender 2. agree to participate in the study and voluntarily sign the informed consent form 3. and are deemed suitable to participate in this study by the researchers.
Exclusion criteria
1. Persons with severe cardiovascular diseases, motor dysfunction or cognitive disorders 2. persons who have suffered severe trauma or been hospitalized recently and are unsuitable for exercise testing 3. persons with congenital lower limb or spinal deformities affecting foot posture other than flatfoot 4. persons with a medical history of muscular, neurological or skeletal system disorders affecting foot posture other than flatfoot 5. persons deemed ineligible to participate in this study by the investigators
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Root Mean Square Value | Day 1: from the resting baseline immediately before each intervention condition through completion of that intervention condition. | Electrodes were placed per SENIAM standards (2000 Hz sampling, 20-450 Hz band-pass and 50 Hz band-stop filtering). Data were collected during a 30 s resting baseline and the 30-60 s stable phase of intervention. After offline full-wave rectification, RMS was calculated using a 200 ms sliding window (100 ms step). Mean RMS within each epoch was adopted as the representative value. |
Countries
China
Contacts
CONTACTchao chen, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORchao chen, PhD
Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
Outcome results
None listed