![]() Modular neuromuscular control through muscle synergies is widely accepted as an indicator of the coordination inherent in muscular control 18. However, it has been recognized that the human nervous system does not control all muscles individually but controls sets of muscles that work together, which are called muscle synergies, during walking 15, 16, 17. Regarding muscle activity during underwater walking, previous studies on EMG activities reported lower activity of the calf muscles during the stance phase and larger activity of the rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) during the swing and stance phases, respectively, compared to those during land walking 9, 10, 13.Īll previous studies on EMG during underwater walking have independently investigated the activity of each muscle 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14. When walking under water, there is no change in the ankle, knee, and hip range of motion, but extension torques considerably decrease in the ankle and knee joints compared to that walking on land 11. Buoyancy decreases the vertical ground reaction forces to approximately one-third of the body weight when walking in chest-deep water 7, 9. Furthermore, the effects of the fundamental physics principles of the water environment on walking movements have been investigated using kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic (EMG) analyses 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Drag force, on the contrary, is the resistance force that acts opposite to the movement direction and is related to the movement speed 6. The force from buoyancy is also specific to movements in the vertical direction, with upward movements being assisted and downward movements resisting 5. Greater depth of immersion increases the upthrust effect for body weight bearing due to buoyancy 1. With the growing popularity of underwater walking therapy, understanding the effects of the water environment on walking movements has been important for the construction of effective training regimens.įrom a biomechanical point of view, the effects of the water environment on walking movement are mainly related to the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic theories of buoyancy and drag force. Although numerous hydrotherapeutic exercises have been proposed, underwater walking is one of the most common hydrotherapeutic exercises 1, 4. Hydrotherapy has been investigated as a form of therapy for individuals with various disorders, such as osteoarthritis 2 and stroke 3. ![]() The results suggest that the human nervous system modulates activation of lower-limb muscles during water walking by finely tuning basic locomotor muscle synergies that are used during land walking to meet the biomechanical requirements for walking in the water environment.Ī water environment serves as an alternative option to conventional therapy for active rehabilitation, which is termed hydrotherapy 1. However, some task-dependent modulation was found in the activation combination across muscles and temporal activation patterns of the muscle synergies. We found that the same set of muscle synergies was shared between the two walking tasks. However, it is recognized that the human nervous system modularly controls multiple muscles through muscle synergies, which are sets of muscles that work together. To date, muscular control during underwater walking has been investigated at the individual muscle level. The effects of the water environment on walking are mainly related to the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic theories of buoyancy and drag force. ![]() Therefore, understanding muscular control during underwater walking is important for optimizing training regimens. Underwater walking is one of the most common hydrotherapeutic exercises. ![]()
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