UNASSIGNED: Tendons are elastic structures that connect muscle to the skeletal system and transmit force relative to the amount of stretch they experience. The mechanical properties of @entity1 tendons are difficult to measure non-invasively, so generic values are often assumed in musculoskeletal models to represent all subjects. We aimed to determine the in vivo mechanical properties of the @entity1 Achilles tendon by calculating @entity924 in 10 male and 10 female trained cyclists. B-mode ultrasound coupled with motion capture was used to track the tendon lengths for the medial and lateral gastrocnemii concurrently with ankle torque measurements during ramped isometric contractions. Achilles tendon @entity2693 was calculated as the slope of the linear portion of the force-length curve, and this was extrapolated to zero force to yield the tendon resting length. Average Achilles tendon @entity2693 was 201.8  5.9Nmm(-1). There was no difference in Achilles tendon @entity2693 or maximum isometric force between males and females, however tendon @entity2693 varied between individuals. The resting lengths of the MG and LG tendon were 0.209  0.002m and 0.222  0.002m respectively, and regression models determined that @entity17237 length was the best predictor of resting tendon length. Our results indicate that Achilles tendon @entity2693 varies with muscle strength and not sex. The variability in Achilles tendon @entity2693 between subjects support the need for experimentally measured subject-specific tendon properties as input parameters to improve the accuracy of musculoskeletal models.

Structural and mechanical properties of the XXXX Achilles tendon: Sex and strength effects.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human'] @entity17237 :: ('22941', 'Gene') :: ['shank'] @entity924 :: ('MESH:D052256', 'Disease') :: ['tendon stiffness and resting length'] @entity2693 :: ('MESH:C566112', 'Disease') :: ['stiffness']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['human']
