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Eccentric and concentric exercise of the triceps surae: an in vivo study of dynamic muscle and tendon biomechanical parameters

Eccentric and concentric exercise of the triceps surae: an in vivo study of dynamic muscle and tendon biomechanical parameters
Eccentric and concentric exercise of the triceps surae: an in vivo study of dynamic muscle and tendon biomechanical parameters
Triceps surae eccentric exercise is more effective than concentric exercise for treating Achilles tendinopathy, however the mechanisms underpinning these effects are unclear. This study compared the biomechanical characteristics of eccentric and concentric exercises to identify differences in the tendon load response. Eleven healthy volunteers performed eccentric and concentric exercises on a force plate, with ultrasonography, motion tracking, and EMG applied to measure Achilles tendon force, lower limb movement, and leg muscle activation. Tendon length was ultrasonographically tracked and quantified using a novel algorithm. The Fourier transform of the ground reaction force was also calculated to investigate for tremor, or perturbations. Tendon stiffness and extension did not vary between exercise types (P = .43). However, tendon perturbations were significantly higher during eccentric than concentric exercises (25%-40% higher, P = .02). Furthermore, perturbations during eccentric exercises were found to be negatively correlated with the tendon stiffness (R2 = .59). The particular efficacy of eccentric exercise does not appear to result from variation in tendon stiffness or extension within a given session. However, varied perturbation magnitude may have a role in mediating the observed clinical effects. This property is subject-specific, with the source and clinical time-course of such perturbations requiring further research.
achilles tendon, force, extension, biomechanics, human, in vivo
1065-8483
69-78
Chaudhry, Saira
05ff79d3-54a5-4896-bcc4-ed5260cdb157
Morrissey, Dylan
bb51199e-fc9a-4024-b19e-4dee2fc7eb76
Woledge, Roger C.
5d660e09-e10e-42ab-8e07-b15ca5c936c2
Bader, Dan L.
9884d4f6-2607-4d48-bf0c-62bdcc0d1dbf
Screen, Hazel R.
a54a088e-ace1-485a-9ea5-4acc51247aff
Chaudhry, Saira
05ff79d3-54a5-4896-bcc4-ed5260cdb157
Morrissey, Dylan
bb51199e-fc9a-4024-b19e-4dee2fc7eb76
Woledge, Roger C.
5d660e09-e10e-42ab-8e07-b15ca5c936c2
Bader, Dan L.
9884d4f6-2607-4d48-bf0c-62bdcc0d1dbf
Screen, Hazel R.
a54a088e-ace1-485a-9ea5-4acc51247aff

Chaudhry, Saira, Morrissey, Dylan, Woledge, Roger C., Bader, Dan L. and Screen, Hazel R. (2015) Eccentric and concentric exercise of the triceps surae: an in vivo study of dynamic muscle and tendon biomechanical parameters. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 31 (2), 69-78. (doi:10.1123/JAB.2013-0284). (PMID:25322475)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Triceps surae eccentric exercise is more effective than concentric exercise for treating Achilles tendinopathy, however the mechanisms underpinning these effects are unclear. This study compared the biomechanical characteristics of eccentric and concentric exercises to identify differences in the tendon load response. Eleven healthy volunteers performed eccentric and concentric exercises on a force plate, with ultrasonography, motion tracking, and EMG applied to measure Achilles tendon force, lower limb movement, and leg muscle activation. Tendon length was ultrasonographically tracked and quantified using a novel algorithm. The Fourier transform of the ground reaction force was also calculated to investigate for tremor, or perturbations. Tendon stiffness and extension did not vary between exercise types (P = .43). However, tendon perturbations were significantly higher during eccentric than concentric exercises (25%-40% higher, P = .02). Furthermore, perturbations during eccentric exercises were found to be negatively correlated with the tendon stiffness (R2 = .59). The particular efficacy of eccentric exercise does not appear to result from variation in tendon stiffness or extension within a given session. However, varied perturbation magnitude may have a role in mediating the observed clinical effects. This property is subject-specific, with the source and clinical time-course of such perturbations requiring further research.

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Accepted/In Press date: 16 October 2014
Published date: April 2015
Keywords: achilles tendon, force, extension, biomechanics, human, in vivo
Organisations: Faculty of Health Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 379930
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/379930
ISSN: 1065-8483
PURE UUID: 10f205e6-35e7-416a-bdd1-2655200eb9e0
ORCID for Dan L. Bader: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1208-3507

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Date deposited: 01 Sep 2015 08:25
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 20:51

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Contributors

Author: Saira Chaudhry
Author: Dylan Morrissey
Author: Roger C. Woledge
Author: Dan L. Bader ORCID iD
Author: Hazel R. Screen

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