Acute Effects of Sedentary Behavior on Ankle Torque Assessed with a Custom-Made Electronic Dynamometer

Abstract

Inactivity negatively influences general health, and sedentary behaviour is known to impact the musculoskeletal system. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of time spent in active and sedentary behaviour on foot muscle strength. In this observational study, we compared the acute effects of one day of prolonged sitting and one day of low-to-moderate level of activity on ankle torque in one group of eight healthy participants. Peak ankle torque was measured using a portable custom-made electronic dynamometer. Three consecutive maximal voluntary isometric contractions for bilateral plantar flexor and dorsiflexor muscles were captured at different moments in time. The average peak torque significant statistically decreased at 6 h (p = 0.019) in both static and active behaviours, with a higher average peak torque in the active behaviour (p < 0.001). Age, gender, body mass index and average steps did not have any significant influence on the average value of maximal voluntary isometric contraction. The more time participants maintained either static or active behaviour, the less force was observed during ankle torque testation. The static behaviour represented by the sitting position was associated with a higher reduction in the average peak ankle torque during a maximal voluntary isometric contraction when compared to the active behaviour.