{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T18:05:53Z","timestamp":1789063553331,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788998400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurol."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n The Fugl\u2013Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity (FMA-LE), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Brunnstrom lower-limb stage summarize lower-limb motor and balance function after stroke but do not directly reflect the electrical activity of distal muscles during a specific task. The tibialis anterior (TA) is a primary superficial agonist during active ankle dorsiflexion, and its surface electromyography (sEMG) may provide muscle-specific and task-specific complementary information relevant to foot drop and voluntary distal ankle-foot control.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n To examine the relationships of TA sEMG measures obtained during active ankle dorsiflexion with lower-limb motor function, balance, and stage of motor recovery in inpatients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke within 1\u202fyear of onset, and to explore whether short-term improvements in clinical scales were accompanied by corresponding changes in sEMG measures.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n This single-center observational study included 118 participants with supratentorial or infratentorial index stroke lesions. Bilateral TA and gastrocnemius sEMG was recorded during a standardized seated active ankle dorsiflexion task. The primary measures were paretic-side TA average rectified value (ARV) and the TA paretic\/non-paretic ratio. Baseline sEMG analyses included 110 participants, clinical longitudinal analyses included 88, and sEMG longitudinal analyses included 81. Spearman correlation, multivariable linear regression, and paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used, with adjustment for multiple comparisons.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n At baseline, paretic-side TA ARV was lower than non-paretic-side TA ARV. Paretic-side TA ARV showed moderate positive correlations with the FMA-LE, BBS, and Brunnstrom lower-limb stage (\n \u03c1<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.556, 0.492, and 0.496, respectively), as did the TA paretic\/non-paretic ratio (\n \u03c1<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.566, 0.440, and 0.417, respectively; all adjusted\n q<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.001). Both TA measures remained associated with the FMA-LE and BBS after adjustment for age, sex, stroke type, time from stroke onset to baseline assessment, and paretic side. The FMA-LE, BBS, and Brunnstrom lower-limb stage improved during inpatient rehabilitation, whereas no sEMG measure showed a significant longitudinal change after FDR correction.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n TA sEMG during active ankle dorsiflexion was associated with concurrent lower-limb motor and balance function and may provide muscle-specific and task-specific information complementary to routine clinical scales. Its longitudinal responsiveness and value in clinical practice require further investigation.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Clinical trial registration<\/jats:title>\n \n https:\/\/itmctr.ccebtcm.org.cn\/mgt\/search<\/jats:ext-link>\n , identifier ITMCTR2026000773.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2026.1913483","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T17:08:16Z","timestamp":1789060096000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Tibialis anterior surface electromyography during ankle dorsiflexion as a complementary assessment measure after stroke"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Jie","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Tianjin Medical University General Hospital","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yujin","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhen","family":"Tian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rukun","family":"Dou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chunxiao","family":"Wan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"Stroke Rehabilitation in Adults. 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