Plantarflexor fiber and tendon slack length are strong determinates of simulated single-leg heel raise height.
Publication/Presentation Date
3-27-2019
Abstract
Achilles tendon ruptures have been linked with detrimental changes in muscle-tendon structure, which may help explain long-term functional deficits. However, the causal effects of muscle-tendon structure on joint function have not been tested in a controlled setting. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test the implications of muscle-tendon unit parameters on simulated single-leg heel raise height. We hypothesized that muscle fiber length and resting ankle angle - a clinical surrogate measure of tendon slack length - would predict single-leg heel raise height more strongly than other parameters. To test this hypothesis, we developed a two-part simulation paradigm that recreated clinically relevant muscle-tendon scenarios and then tested these parameters on single-leg heel raise height. We found that longer muscle fibers had the greatest positive effect on single-leg heel raise height. However, tendon slack length, determined by simulating resting ankle angles in a secondary analysis, revealed a stronger negative correlation with heel raise height. Our findings support previous clinical observations that both muscle fascicle length and resting tendon length are important muscle-tendon parameters for patient function. In addition to minimizing tendon elongation following rupture, treatment plans should focus on preserving plantarflexor muscle structure to mitigate functional loses following Achilles tendon ruptures.
Volume
86
First Page
27
Last Page
33
ISSN
1873-2380
Published In/Presented At
Baxter, J. R., Farber, D. C., & Hast, M. W. (2019). Plantarflexor fiber and tendon slack length are strong determinates of simulated single-leg heel raise height. Journal of biomechanics, 86, 27–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2019.01.035
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
30722935
Department(s)
Department of Surgery
Document Type
Article