Journal
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
Volume 141, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.111232
Keywords
Achilles subtendon; Gastrocnemii; Electromyography; Speckle tracking; 3D ultrasound
Categories
Funding
- Research Council of KU Leuven [C24M/20/053, PDMT1/21/029]
- KU Leuven
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The study investigated the impact of horizontal foot position on the subtendons within the Achilles tendon in terms of their length and motion. The results showed that the subtendons had different lengths and motions when the foot was in toes-in or toes-out position. This finding is clinically relevant for pathologies affecting Achilles tendon motion.
The medial (GM) and lateral gastrocnemius (GL) muscles enroll to different subparts of the Achilles tendon to form their respective subtendons. The relative gastrocnemii activations during submaximal plantarflexion contraction depend on the position of the foot in the horizontal plane: with toes-in, GL activation increases and GM activation decreases, compared to toes-out. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether horizontal foot position during submaximal isometric plantarflexion contraction differently affects the subtendons within the Achilles tendon in terms of their (i) length at rest, and (ii) elongations and distal motions. Twenty healthy subjects (12 females/8 males) participated in the study. Three-dimensional ultrasound images were taken to capture subtendon lengths at rest and during isometric contraction. Ultrasound images were recorded at the distal end of Achilles tendon (sagittal plane) during ramped contractions and analyzed using a speckle tracking algorithm. All tasks were conducted twice, ones with toes-in and ones with toes-out. At rest, subtendons were shorter with toes-out compared to toes-in. During contraction, the GM subtendon lengthened more in toes-out, compared to the GL, and vice versa (all p <.01). The relative motions within the Achilles tendon (middle minus top layers displacements) were smaller in toes-in compared to toes-out (p =.05) for higher contraction intensity. Our results demonstrated that the horizontal foot position during plantarflexion contraction impacts Achilles tendon motions. Such findings may be relevant in a clinical context, for example in pathologies affecting Achilles tendon motions such as Achilles tendinopathy.
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