Efficacy Evaluation of Foulage in the Treatment of Tibialis Anterior Athletic Fatigue in Gymnast with Surface Electromyography and Isokinetic Testing based on Ecological Science Theory

To observe and evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of foulage in the treatment of tibialis anterior athletic fatigue in gymnast with surface electromyography and isokinetic testing. Methods: A total of 140 gymnasts suffered from tibialis anterior athletic fatigue were enrolled. All patients were randomized into research group (foulage group) and control group (rest group), with 70 cases in each group. Tibialis anterior athletic fatigue was modeled with isokinetic testing, once before therapy and once after treatment. In the passive movement of the ankle, the angular velocity was set as 60°/s. Meanwhile, various indexes were measured with surface electromyography during passive movement, including the integrated electromyography, maximal amplitude, median frequency and slope of the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscle. Results: The integrated electromyography, maximal amplitude, median frequency and slope of the tibialis anterior before treatment were recorded during isokinetic testing. And results showed that there was no significant difference between both groups (P > 0.05). After 5 minutes of resting, the integrated electromyography and gain ratio, maximal amplitude and gain ratio, median frequency and gain ratio, as well as slope and gain ratio of the tibialis anterior were greatly reduced (P < 0.05).When foulage therapy was performed, the above indexes (the integrated electromyography and gain ratio, maximal amplitude and gain ratio, median frequency and gain ratio, as well as slope and gain ratio) of the research group were up-regulated markedly than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Application of foulage therapy significantly relieved muscle fatigue. Meanwhile, surface electromyography and isokinetic testing had high scientificity and rationality in evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of foulage in the treatment of tibialis anterior athletic fatigue in gymnast.