Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Feb 10:9:20240006.
doi: 10.2490/prm.20240006. eCollection 2024.

Change in Achilles Tendon Length after Walking on Treadmill with Gradient

Takaki Yoshida  1 , Yoshitsugu Tanino  1 , Tetsuya Nakao  1 , Wataru Yamazaki  1 , Toshiaki Suzuki  1
Affiliations

Change in Achilles Tendon Length after Walking on Treadmill with Gradient

Takaki Yoshida et al. Prog Rehabil Med. .

Abstract

Objectives: Improving ankle joint contracture is important because stiffness in ankle dorsiflexion can lead to pain, especially when weight-bearing during walking, which tends to concentrate on the forefoot. We hypothesized that the contraction of the gastrocnemius muscle in ankle dorsiflexion would increase the Achilles tendon length and improve the dorsiflexion range of motion. We evaluated the effects of walking with and without a gradient on Achilles tendon length.

Methods: This study included 23 men who underwent ultrasound imaging to measure the Achilles tendon length while they stood on an inclined table adjusted according to the dorsiflexion angle. Treadmill walking was performed for 10 min with a 10° incline (gradient condition) or without gradient (level condition). The measurements were compared using a paired t-test.

Results: In the gradient condition, the range of motion for ankle dorsiflexion was significantly increased after the intervention. In the gradient condition, the Achilles tendon length while standing on an inclined surface was significantly increased after the intervention.

Conclusions: Walking under gradient conditions led to the extension of the Achilles tendon in the ankle dorsiflexion position. This was accompanied by contraction of the gastrocnemius muscle, resulting in lengthening of the Achilles tendon. This finding suggests that such interventions may have clinical applications.

Keywords: Achilles tendon; treadmill walking; ultrasound imaging device.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Use of ultrasonography in measurement of Achilles tendon length on an inclined table. The muscle–tendon transition area of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle was positioned at the center of the screen and marked with a sticker at the height of the center of the probe on the lower leg.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Ultrasound image of the Achilles tendon. Hash symbol, gastrocnemius medial head; asterisk, Achilles tendon and gastrocnemius muscle-tendon transition zone.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Measurement of Achilles tendon length on the inclined table. A measuring tape was used to measure the Achilles tendon length from the calcaneal ridge to the myotendinous transition of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Treadmill walking interventions. Left, level condition; right, gradient condition.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Comparison of ankle joint range of motion (ROM) before and after the gradient condition intervention. The dorsiflexion range of motion of the ankle joint was significantly improved after the gradient walking intervention. Asterisk indicates significant difference (P<0.05).
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Comparison of ankle joint range of motion (ROM) before and after the level condition intervention. There was no change in the range of motion of the ankle joint after the level walking intervention.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 7.
Comparison of Achilles tendon length before and after the gradient condition intervention. The length of the Achilles tendon was significantly extended after the intervention when standing on an inclined surface. Asterisk indicates significant difference (P<0.05).
Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.
Comparison of Achilles tendon length before and after the level condition intervention. The length of the Achilles tendon did not change between standing on a flat surface and standing on an inclined surface.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Jastifer JR,Marston J: Gastrocnemius contracture in patients with and without foot pathology. Foot Ankle Int 2016;37:1165–1170. 10.1177/1071100716659749 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lv ML,Zhang H,Chen L,Liu Y,Wang F,Wong DW,Sun L,Ni M: Finite element method based parametric study of Gastrocnemius-soleus recession: implications to the treatment of midfoot-forefoot overload syndrome. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin 2021;24:913–921. 10.1080/10255842.2020.1858817 - DOI - PubMed
    1. 3.Squier K,Scott A,Hunt MA,Brunham LR,Wilson DR,Screen H,Waugh CM. The effects of cholesterol accumulation on Achilles tendon biomechanics: a cross-sectional study. PLoS One 2021;16:e0257269. 10.1371/journal.pone.0257269 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cronin NJ,Peltonen J,Ishikawa M,Komi PV,Avela J,Sinkjaer T,Voigt M: Achilles tendon length changes during walking in long-term diabetes patients. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) 2010;25:476–482. 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2010.01.018 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mahieu NN,McNair P,De Muynck M,Stevens V,Blanckaert I,Smits N,Witvrouw E: Effect of static and ballistic stretching on the muscle–tendon tissue properties. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39:494–501. 10.1249/01.mss.0000247004.40212.f7 - DOI - PubMed