Peroneal muscle activity during stable and unstable load exercises. A cross-sectional study

Objective: To evaluate the muscle activity of the peroneus longus during the execution of different un-stable load exercises compared to stable load exercises.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: Functional Anatomy Laboratory.Participants: 28 healthy athletes.Main outcome measures: Surface electromyography (sEMG), unstable load (water tank), Stable Load (Sandbag), type of exercise (Isometric single leg stance, single-leg Romanian deadlift, front rack forward lunge and lateral lunge).Results: The repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant Group * Time interaction in Root Mean Square (RMS) (F = 51.307, P < 0.001, s2 = 0.70). In the between-group analysis there were statistically significant differences in RMS isometric single leg stance in favor to unstable load (P < 0.001, s2 = 0.07). In the within-group analysis of RMS statistically significant differences were found in the stable load group between isometric single leg stance and single-leg Romanian deadlift (P < 0.001, s2 = 0.05).Conclusions: Single leg stance exercise with unstable load showed higher peroneus muscle activity than stable load. However, no peroneus muscle activity differences were found between unstable and stable loads for single-leg Romanian deadlift, frontal rack forward lunge and lateral lunge. Single-leg Romanian deadlift with stable load showed higher peroneus muscle activity than isometric single leg stance with stable load.(c) 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.