Towards modern understanding of the Achilles tendon properties in human movement research

Finni, Taija; Vanwanseele, Benedicte

Affiliations

¹Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Neuromuscular Research Center, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

²Faculty of Movement and Rehabilitation Science, Human Movement Biomechanics Research Group, KU Leuven, Belgium

Abstract and keywords

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 studied, what is their significance to human movement, and how do they adapt? We foresee that the ongoing developments in experimental methods and modeling can provide ways to advance knowledge of the complex three-dimensional structure and properties of the Achilles tendon in vivo, and to enable monitoring of the loading and recovery for optimizing individual adaptations.

Keywords: Strain; Stress; Stiffness; Young’s modulus; Hysteresis; AT; Achilles tendon

Links

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111583

PubMed: 37086579

WoS: 000985315800001

History

Accepted: 2023-04-4

Online: 2023-04-13

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