The effect of heel height on the Achilles tendon and muscle activity in Latin dancers during a special-landing task

Latin shoes are considered an essential part of Latin dance, but wearing the shoes may contribute to dance injuries. The primary purpose of this article was to compare the biomechanics and muscle activity differences between 7.5 cm heel-height Latin shoes and 5.5 cm Latin shoes based on the bounce step during Jive performance. One-dimensional statistical parametric mapping (SPM1D) was used to analyse the data. 7.5 cm Latin shoes showed significantly greater peak dorsiflexion during the 4.56%-7.65%, as well as the VALR and peak vertical force significantly increased compared to 5.5 cm Latin shoes. These results suggest that a higher heel leads to a greater lower limb muscle activation in dancers and enhanced medial and lateral ankle muscle control. The lower extremity strength of dancers and the ability to control their limbs should be considered an essential element when reasonably raising Latin heels.