Funding
The study was funded by the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of the Amsterdam UMC
Background
Running is one of the most popular sports globally. Many runners get injured; among these, Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is one of the most common running-related injuries. The mechanisms underlying the development and recovery of AT in runners are poorly understood. Understanding these mechanisms can help improve the early identification of runners at risk of AT and result in more effective treatment programs in order to prevent and manage the injury.
Few studies have focused on the biomechanical factors involved in AT. Those studies had small sample sizes and mainly focused on running kinematics. Kinematics and inverse dynamics are often used to measure the load on the Achilles tendon. With emerging techniques like dynamic ultrasound, we can now quantify the mechanical behaviour (i.e. load, stress and strain) of the Achilles tendon during running. This allows for assessing the effect of neuromuscular control, running kinematics, variability and more on the intertendinous load on the Achilles tendon.
Objectives
This project aims to gain insight into the biomechanical factors that play a role in the development and recovery of Achilles tendinopathy in runners. Specifically, we compare the Achilles tendon mechanical behaviour (i.e. strain, stress, stiffness, Young’s modulus) between runners with Achilles tendinopathy and injury-free runners. For that, we combine 3D running analyses, including kinematics and kinetics, with dynamic ultrasound of the muscle-tendon junction of the gastrocnemius medialis during running. Moreover, since we follow the injured runners in their recovery from AT, we can gain insight into changes in running biomechanics and tendon mechanical behaviour during or after recovery.