Neuromechanical adaptations in the gastrocnemius muscle after Achilles tendon rupture during walking

Khair, Raad M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3226-8840, Watt, Jadyn, Sukanen, Maria, Cronin, Neil J. and Finni, Taija (2025) Neuromechanical adaptations in the gastrocnemius muscle after Achilles tendon rupture during walking. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 80. p. 102962. doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102962

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Abstract

Although some Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) patients regain function in low-force levels activities, it is not yet well known how neuromuscular and structural alterations after ATR manifest during everyday-locomotion. This study assessed medial gastrocnemius (MG) fascicle shortening during walking 1-year after ATR. Additionally, we explored neuromuscular alterations in lateral gastrocnemius (LG), soleus and flexor hallucis longus (FHL) muscles. We observed 3.1 pp (95 %CI 0.8–5.4 pp) higher average and 14.5 pp (95 %CI 0.5–28.5 pp) higher peak LG surface electromyography amplitude in the injured compared to the un-injured during walking, but no differences were observed in soleus or FHL. The injured limb fascicles were 12.9 mm shorter while standing compared to the un-injured limb. In absolute terms, MG shortening in the injured limb was 2.8 mm (95 %CI 0.96–4.6 mm) smaller compared to the un-injured limb. However, when normalized to standing fascicle length, the amount of shortening was not different between the limbs. Our results showed that 1-year after ATR, MG muscle had remodelled, which manifested as shorter fascicle length during standing. During walking, injured and un-injured MG fascicles showed similar shortening relative to the standing fascicle length, suggesting that MG could function effectively at the new mechanical settings during everyday locomotion.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Operating length; Fascicle; Rupture; Gait; Flexor hallucis longus
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure Q Science > QM Human anatomy Q Science > QP Physiology
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education and Science
Depositing User:	Charlotte Crutchlow
Date Deposited:	22 Apr 2025 12:07
Last Modified:	22 Apr 2025 12:45
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/14957

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