Effects of walking with a “draw-in maneuver” on the knee adduction moment and hip muscle activity

[Purpose] To investigate the effect of performing a draw-in maneuver (DI) on knee adduction moment (KAM) and hip and trunk muscle activities while walking. [Participants and Methods] We included 30 healthy young adults (21.5 ± 0.6 years, 16 males and 14 females) in this study. We measured the KAM and lever arm while participants walked with either a normal gait or a DI gait. We also performed surface electromyography (EMG) of the hip and trunk muscles (i.e., internal oblique abdominal muscle [IO], external oblique abdominal muscle [EO], multifidus muscle [MF], and gluteus medius muscle [GM]). [Results] The 1st peak of the KAM was significantly lower when walking with a DI gait compared to when walking with a normal gait. The integrated EMG activity of the IO, EO, and GM during the 1st half of the stance phase, and of the IO and EO during the 2nd half of the stance phase was significantly higher during the DI than during normal gait. [Conclusion] Compared with a normal gait, a DI gait leads to a decrease in the 1st peak of the KAM as a result of the shorter lever arm, and an increase in the muscular activity of the GM, IO, and EO.