Search results for "kantajänne"
showing 10 items of 24 documents
Conditioning hops increase triceps surae muscle force and Achilles tendon strain energy in the stretch-shortening cycle
2018
Postactivation potentiation can improve athletic performance, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This study investigated the effect of conditioning hops on triceps surae muscle force and tendon strain and its contribution to potentiated stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) performance. Thirty-two subjects participated in two experiments. In both experiments, subjects performed three drop jumps (DJs) after prior conditioning with 10 maximal hops, three unconditioned DJs served as control. Ground reaction forces, kinematics, and triceps surae electromyographic activity were recorded. Ultrasound imaging was used to determine fascicle lengths (FASC) of the gastrocnemius (GM) and sol…
Mechanical Coupling Between Muscle-Tendon Units Reduces Peak Stresses
2017
The presence of mechanical linkages between synergistic muscles and their common tendons may distribute forces among the involved structures. We review studies, using humans and other animals, examining muscle and tendon interactions and discuss the hypothesis that connections between muscle bellies and within tendons may serve as a mechanism to distribute forces and mitigate peak stresses. peerReviewed
In vivo localized gastrocnemius subtendon representation within the healthy and ruptured human Achilles tendon
2022
The Achilles tendon (AT) is composed of three distinct in-series elastic subtendons, arising from different muscles in the triceps surae. Independent activation of any of these muscles is thought to induce sliding between the adjacent AT subtendons. We aimed to investigate displacement patterns during voluntary contraction (VOL) and selective transcutaneous stimulation of medial (MGstim) and lateral (LGstim) gastrocnemius between ruptured and healthy tendons, and to examine the representative areas of AT subtendons. Twenty-eight patients with unilateral AT rupture performed bilateral VOL at 30% of the maximal isometric un-injured plantarflexion torque. AT displacement was analysed from sagi…
Effect of Training-Induced Changes in Achilles Tendon Stiffness on Muscle–Tendon Behavior During Landing
2018
During rapid deceleration of the body, tendons buffer part of the elongation of the muscle–tendon unit (MTU), enabling safe energy dissipation via eccentric muscle contraction. Yet, the influence of changes in tendon stiffness within the physiological range upon these lengthening contractions is unknown. This study aimed to examine the effect of training-induced stiffening of the Achilles tendon on triceps surae muscle–tendon behavior during a landing task. Twenty-one male subjects were assigned to either a 10-week resistance-training program consisting of single-leg isometric plantarflexion (n = 11) or to a non-training control group (n = 10). Before and after the training period, plantarf…
Biplanar ultrasound investigation of in vivo Achilles tendon displacement non-uniformity
2019
The Achilles tendon is a common tendon for the medial and lateral gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Non‐uniform Achilles tendon regional displacements have been observed in vivo which may result from non‐uniform muscle loading and intratendinous shearing. However, prior observations are limited to the sagittal plane. This study investigated Achilles tendon tissue displacement patterns during isometric plantarflexor contractions in the coronal and sagittal planes. Fourteen subjects (5 female, 9 male, 26 ± 3 year) performed maximal isometric plantarflexor contractions with the knee in full extension and flexed to 110°. An ultrasound transducer positioned over the free Achilles tendon collecte…
Exploration of muscle–tendon biomechanics one year after Achilles tendon rupture and the compensatory role of flexor hallucis longus
2023
Achilles tendon (AT) rupture leads to long-term structural and functional impairments. Currently, the predictors of good recovery after rupture are poorly known. Thus, we aimed to explore the interconnections between structural, mechanical, and neuromuscular parameters and their associations with factors that could explain good recovery in patients with non-surgically treated AT rupture. A total of 35 patients with unilateral rupture (6 females) participated in this study. Muscle-tendon structural, mechanical, and neuromuscular parameters were measured 1-year after rupture. Interconnections between the inter-limb differences (Δ) were explored using partial correlations, followed by multivar…
Towards modern understanding of the Achilles tendon properties in human movement research
2023
The Achilles tendon (AT) is the strongest tendon in humans, yet it often suffers from injury. The mechanical properties of the AT afford efficient movement, power amplification and power attenuation during locomotor tasks. The properties and the unique structure of the AT as a common tendon for three muscles have been studied frequently in humans using in vivo methods since 1990's. As a part of the celebration of 50 years history of the International Society of Biomechanics, this paper reviews the history of the AT research focusing on its mechanical properties in humans. The questions addressed are: What are the most important mechanical properties of the Achilles tendon, how are they stud…
Approximation of pre-twisted Achilles sub-tendons with continuum beam elements
2022
Achilles sub-tendons are materially and geometrically challenging structures that can nearly undergo around 15% elongation from their pre-twisted initial states during physical activities. Sub-tendons' cross-sectional shapes are subject-specific, varying from simple to complicated. Therefore, the Achilles sub-tendons are often described by three-dimensional elements that lead to a remarkable number of degrees of freedom. On the other hand, the continuum-based beam elements in the framework of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation have already been shown to be a reliable and efficient replacement for the three-dimensional continuum elements in some special problems. So far, that element …
Non-uniformity of displacement and strain within the Achilles tendon is affected by joint angle configuration and differential muscle loading.
2020
Although the Achilles tendon (AT) has been studied for more than a century, a complete understanding of the mechanical and functional consequences of AT structural organization is currently lacking. The aim of this study was to assess how joint angle configuration affects subtendon displacement and strain of soleus (SOL) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles. Knots sutured onto SOL and LG subtendons of 12 Wistar rats, were videotaped to quantify displacements and the ankle torque was assessed for different isometric activation conditions (i.e., individual and simultaneous) of the triceps surae muscles. Changing ankle and knee joint angle affected the magnitude of displacement, relative dis…
Distinct muscle-tendon interaction during running at different speeds and in different loading conditions
2019
The interaction between the Achilles tendon and the triceps surae muscles seems to be modulated differently with various task configurations. Here we tested the hypothesis that the increased forces and ankle joint work during running under contrasting conditions (altered speed or load) would be met by different, time-dependent adjustments at the muscle-tendon level. Ultrasonography, electromyography, kinematics, and ground reaction force measurements were used to examine Achilles tendon, gastrocnemius, and soleus muscle mechanics in 16 runners in four different running conditions, consisting of a combination of two different speeds (preferred and +20% of preferred speed) and two loading con…