SEXUAL-RELATED DIFFERENCE IN THE LEVEL OF MUSCULAR ACTIVITY OF TRUNK AND LOWER LIMB DURING BASIC DAILY LIFE ACTIONS

The aim of this study was to investigate the differences between male and female in the activity level of trunk and lower limb muscles during basic daily physical actions. Six young adult male and six female subjects performed 14 daily life actions, i. e. postural maintenance and change, and body weight transfer actions. The surface EMG of six muscles of the trunk and the lower limb was recorded using a portable electromyography apparatus. Maximal EMG response (EMGmax) during isometric maximal voluntary contraction for each muscle was used to normalize the EMG signal. In the performed actions, the average activity level of each muscle corresponded to 20% EMGmax or less in male and 30% EMGmax or less in female subjects, though there were some actions which exceeded 40% EMGmax in the soleus muscle. As a result of 3-way ANOVA, significant effects for each of the 3 factors (action, muscle and sex) for muscular activity level were recognized and there were significant interactions among each pair of factors. The mean activity level of leg muscles in actions which support and transfer body weight was significantly higher in females than males. In the case of identical actions, the total time taken to reach a high muscular activity level was longer in females than males. From these results, it can be assumed that the load on the lower limb muscles is larger for females than males in the case of supporting and transferring body weight in daily life.