Quantifying mechanical loading and elastic strain energy of the human Achilles tendon during walking and running

Kharazi, Mohamadreza; Böhm, Sebastian; Theodorakis, Christos; Mersmann, Falk; Arampatzis, Adamantios

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-84847-w

Cited by 48 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…This may be due to the differences in training modalities for TRI (cycling plus swimming and running) compared with CYC, especially as running exposes the triceps surae to highermagnitude forces than cycling. 34,35 However, this is only a valid concern if participants exercised the day before testing, 36 which they were required not to do for 24 h before each testing session. It is possible that chronic exposure to running in TRI has led to changes in mechanical parameters such as aponeurosis compliance, which could have impacted ROM repeatability data here, although this is beyond the scope of this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeatability and sensitivity of passive mechanical stiffness measurements in the triceps surae muscle‐tendon complex

Walker

Bissas

Wainwright

et al. 2021

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

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Measurements of muscle‐tendon unit passive mechanical properties are often used to illustrate acute and chronic responses to a training stimulus. The purpose of this study was to quantify the inter‐session repeatability of triceps surae passive stiffness measurements in athletic and non‐athletic populations, with the view to discussing its usefulness both as a muscle‐tendon profiling tool and a control measure for studies with multiple data collection sessions. The study also aimed to observe the effects of quiet standing on passive stiffness parameters. Twenty‐nine men (10 cyclists, nine triathletes, 10 controls) visited the laboratory on three separate occasions, where passive stiffness tests were carried out using an isokinetic dynamometer and B‐mode ultrasound. Participants were fully rested on two of the sessions and subjected to 20 min of quiet standing in the other. The passive stiffness assessment generally showed only moderate inter‐session repeatability but was still able to detect inter‐group differences, with triathletes showing higher passive stiffness than cyclists (p < 0.05). Furthermore, quiet standing impacted passive stiffness by causing a reduction in ankle joint range of motion, although mechanical resistance to stretch in the muscle‐tendon unit at a given joint angle was relatively unaffected. These findings show that passive stiffness assessment is appropriate for detecting inter‐group differences in the triceps surae and even the effects of a low‐intensity task such as quiet standing, despite showing some inter‐session variation. However, the inter‐session variation suggests that passive stiffness testing might not be suitable as a control measure when testing participants on multiple sessions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeatability and sensitivity of passive mechanical stiffness measurements in the triceps surae muscle‐tendon complex

Walker

Bissas

Wainwright

et al. 2021

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

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“…involve more of the toe-region of the force-elongation relation than with MVC. This is supported by in vitro studies which suggest the toe-region (associated with collagen uncrimping) may account for tendon strains <4% [42,43] and in vivo studies that demonstrate maximum AT strain in walking is~4% [41,44]. Tendon adaptation to high loads and strains is complex and may involve structural, mechanical and/or chemical changes to the tendon hierarchy.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 92%

“…Indeed, use of a force range common to both tasks may have allowed for a better initial comparison. Peak forces during walking are suggested to be 36-52% of those during MVC [40,41], so the force range used in estimating tendon stiffness during walking would perhaps correlate to~20-50% of MVC forces. Our walking force-elongation relation showed significant linearity (R 2 = 0.95 ± 0.05) but may have included slightly more curvilinear data than with 25-90% MVC [R2 = 0.96 ± 0.04; 31].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Substantial Achilles adaptation following strength training has no impact on tendon function during walking

Waugh

Scott

2021

PLoS ONE

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Tendons are responsive to mechanical loading and their properties are often the target of intervention programs. The tendon’s mechanical properties, particularly stiffness, also govern its function, therefore changes to these properties could have substantial influence on energy-saving mechanisms during activities utilizing the stretch-shortening cycle. We investigated Achilles tendon (AT) function in vivo during walking with respect to a training intervention that elicited significant increases in AT stiffness. 14 men and women completed 12-weeks of isometric plantarflexor strength training that increased AT stiffness, measured during isometric MVC, by ~31%. Before and after the intervention, participants walked shod at their preferred velocity on a fully-instrumented treadmill. Movement kinematics, kinetics and displacement of the gastrocnemius medialis muscle-tendon junction were captured synchronously using 3D motion capture and ultrasound imaging, respectively. A MANOVA test was used to examine changes in AT force, stress, strain, stiffness, Young’s modulus, hysteresis and strain energy, measured during walking, before and following strength training. All were non-significant for a main effect of time, therefore no follow-up statistical tests were conducted. Changes in joint kinematics, tendon strain, velocity, work and power and muscle activity during the stance phase were assessed with 1D statistical parametric mapping, all of which also demonstrated a lack of change in response to the intervention. This in vivo examination of tendon function in walking provides an important foundation for investigating the functional consequences of training adaptations. We found substantial increases in AT stiffness did not impact on tendon function during walking. AT stiffness measured during walking, however, was unchanged with training, which suggests that increases in stiffness may not be evident across the whole force-elongation relation, a finding which may help explain previously mixed intervention results and guide future investigations in the functional implications of tendon adaptation.

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“…In order to assess the peak torque of the plantar flexor muscle, participants were instructed to plantar flex their ankle gradually by maximally contracting the muscle for 0 to 5 s and maintaining it for 2 of the 5 s. Subjects performed at least two MVC trials with >120 s rest between trials after one or two practice sessions [19].…”

Section: Assessment Of Normalized Peak Torque Of Plantar Flexormentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Acute Static Stretching on the Activation Patterns Using High-Density Surface Electromyography of the Gastrocnemius Muscle during Ramp-Up Task

Maeda

Komiya

Nishikawa

et al. 2021

Sensors

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This study aimed to evaluate motor unit recruitment during submaximal voluntary ramp contraction in the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle (MG) by high-density spatial electromyography (SEMG) before and after static stretching (SS) in healthy young adults. SS for gastrocnemius was performed in 15 healthy participants for 2 min. Normalized peak torque by bodyweight of the plantar flexor, muscle activity at peak torque, and muscle activation patterns during ramp-up task were evaluated before and after SS. Motor unit recruitment during the submaximal voluntary contraction of the MG was measured using SEMG when performing submaximal ramp contractions during isometric ankle plantar flexion from 30 to 80% of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). To evaluate the changes in the potential distribution of SEMG, the root mean square (RMS), modified entropy, and coefficient of variation (CV) were calculated from the dense surface EMG data when 10% of the MVC force was applied. Muscle activation patterns during the 30 to 80% of MVC submaximal voluntary contraction tasks were significantly changed from 50 to 70% of MVC after SS when compared to before. The variations in motor unit recruitment after SS indicate diverse motor unit recruitments and inhomogeneous muscle activities, which may adversely affect the performance of sports activities.

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Quantifying mechanical loading and elastic strain energy of the human Achilles tendon during walking and running

Cited by 48 publications

References 61 publications

Repeatability and sensitivity of passive mechanical stiffness measurements in the triceps surae muscle‐tendon complex

Repeatability and sensitivity of passive mechanical stiffness measurements in the triceps surae muscle‐tendon complex

Substantial Achilles adaptation following strength training has no impact on tendon function during walking

Effect of Acute Static Stretching on the Activation Patterns Using High-Density Surface Electromyography of the Gastrocnemius Muscle during Ramp-Up Task

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