BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the two leg muscles (Tibialis anterior [TA] and Soleus [SOL]) during ascending and descending stairs with different heights (10 cm, 15.5 cm and 18 cm).
METHODS: Eighteen female university students aged between 20 and 36 yr participated in the study. Data were collected using a ME6000 Biomonitor EMG System (revision MT-M6T16-0) and surface electrodes.
RESULTS: The EMG activity of the SOL muscle was significantly higher than the TA muscle activity (P = 0.001). Besides, the muscle activity level of the SOL muscle was significantly higher when ascending compared to descending condition (P = 0.001). The stair height had no significant effect of the EMG activity of the two muscles.
CONCLUSION: These findings highlight that the two muscles are not equally affected by the stair height during ascending and descending condition. The results also indicate that there is no preference between different stair heights in terms of muscular effort.