| Description |
The purpose of this study was to describe the three-point crutch gait cycle and analyze the latissimus dorsi and the triceps brachii muscles, which are believed to be involved in walking with axillary crutches. Sixteen healthy volunteers were investigated to evaluate the active musculature using electromyography (EMG) to record electrical activity within these muscles. The crutch assisted gait cycle was defined using the terms of leg swing, crutch/leg stance, crutch swing, and was divided into the two following phases: crutch strike to heel strike (CS-HS) and heel strike to crutch strike (HS-CS). The results showed greater activity of the latissimus dorsi and triceps brachii muscles during the CS-HS phase than during the HS-CS phase of the crutch assisted gait cycle. The EMG activity in the latissimus dorsi and the triceps brachii muscles during HS-CS, when compared with CS-HS, was lower by 22% and 60%, respectively. The statistical difference between triceps EMG during the two crutch phases was significant (t(15) = 4.88, p < 0.001), but the latissimus dorsi EMG was not statistically different between the phases of the crutch cycle (p > 0.05). |
