A Pilot Study to Examine the Activity of Primary Plantar Flexor Muscles using an Electric Motorized Treadmill in Comparison to Overground Walking

The gait during overground (OG) and treadmill (TM) walking was already investigated by different scientific groups. Differences in the muscle activation and in the kinetics were found. The aim of the present examination was to find conditions for a comparable or higher activation of the plantar flexor muscles during TM walking in order to give recommendations for training and rehabilitation. A pilot study with different conditions (e.g. with and without inclination) was done. Furthermore, the aspect of different walking velocities in OG and TM walking was investigated. The self selected speed was reduced during TM walking (1.1 km/h). Regarding the muscle activation, it is recognizable that the primary plantar flexor muscles react similarly. The activation is reduced during TM walking. Based on the inclination of 1.5 %, a little larger activity during TM walking is observed for the muscles M. gastrocnemius medialis and lateralis. Our results confirm that there are differences between OG and TM walking in the activation of the primary plantar flexor muscles. The results indicate that there is an effect of different, adjustable conditions (speed and inclination). Further examinations are planned to find detailed information about the different conditions and their impact on the