Do Lower Limb Muscle Activity Patterns Change with Prolonged Load Carriage?

INTRODUCTION In occupational, military and recreational activities, loads are often carried in a backpack. Modern backpacks utilise a hip belt and shoulder straps to redistribute the load from the back to the large muscle groups surrounding the hips and legs in an attempt to protect the lower back from injury. However, by redistributing these loads the lower limbs are subjected to repetitive mechanical stress during prolonged load carriage while wearing heavy backpacks, which may, in turn, lead to lower extremity overuse injuries.