Muscle activity in the lower limbs during push-down movement with a new active-exercise apparatus for the leg

[Purpose] Lower-limb deep vein thrombosis is a complication of orthopedic surgery. A leg-exercise apparatus named “LEX” was developed as a novel active-exercise apparatus for deep vein thrombosis prevention. Muscle activity was evaluated to assess the effectiveness of exercise with LEX in the prevention. [Subjects] Eight healthy volunteers participated in this study. [Methods] Muscle activities were determined through electromyography during exercise with LEX [LEX (+)] and during active ankle movements [LEX (−)]. The end points were peak % maximum voluntary contraction and % integrated electromyogram of rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, and soleus. [Results] LEX (+) resulted in higher average values in all muscles except the tibialis anterior. Significant differences were noted in the peak of the biceps femoris and gastrocnemius and in the integrated electromyogram of the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius, and soleus. The LEX (+)/LEX (−) ratio of the peak was 2.2 for the biceps femoris and 2.0 for the gastrocnemius . The integrated electromyogram was 1.8 for the gastrocnemius, 1.5 for the rectus femoris, 1.4 for the vastus lateralis, and 1.2 for the soleus. [Conclusion] Higher muscle activity was observed with LEX (+). LEX might be a good tool for increasing lower-limb blood flow and deep vein thrombosis prevention.