Odair Bacca Ramírez, professor at the School of Physical Therapy, Coordinator of the Movement Analysis Laboratory (LAM), member of the Movement Harmony and Life Group (MAV Group) and the Pain Study Group (GED), participated in the XV International Physical Therapy Conference in Fortaleza, Brazil, organized by the Brazilian Society of Physical Therapy (SBF).
The UIS was represented through the presentation of two research papers in poster format. The first addressed the influence of walking speed and limited knee flexion on muscle activation in people without musculoskeletal problems. The second focused on muscle activation in people who had suffered a stroke and had reduced knee flexion while walking.
The purpose of the first study was to investigate compensatory mechanisms in muscle activation related to limited knee flexion and walking speed. Our findings demonstrated the importance of quadriceps muscle control at the beginning and end of the walking cycle. Likewise, it was shown that muscle activation of the gastrocnemius muscles is a determining factor in increasing or decreasing walking speed.
In turn, the second poster aimed to identify the pattern of muscle activation in people who had suffered a stroke and presented decreased knee flexion during the swing phase, known as “stiff gait.” Among the most important findings, it was found that rectus femoris hyperactivity was not one of the main alterations in these patients, as has been described in the literature. However, plantar flexor muscle hyperactivity was found to be one of the main factors limiting knee flexion.
“This conference provided an opportunity to learn about advances in different areas of physical therapy practice, as well as to expand networks and promote future research,” said the professor.
The first paper was co-authored by Ana María Forti Barela and José Angelo Barela. The second paper was co-authored by researchers Anna Júlia Silva da Lima and Mateus Santos.
