Effect of Achilles Tendon Mechanics on the Running Economy of Elite Endurance Athletes

Mariana Souza Pinto; Carlos Sánchez; Natália Martins; Luciano Luporini Menegaldo; Fernando Pompeu; Liliam Fernandes de Oliveira

doi:10.1055/a-1403-2606

International Journal of Sports Medicine, Table of Contents

Int J Sports Med 2021; 42(12): 1128-1136
DOI: 10.1055/a-1403-2606

Orthopedics & Biomechanics

Effect of Achilles Tendon Mechanics on the Running Economy of Elite Endurance Athletes

Mariana Souza Pinto

¹Programa de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

,

Carlos Sánchez

²Escola de Educação Física e Desportos, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

,

Natália Martins

¹Programa de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

,

Luciano Luporini Menegaldo

¹Programa de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

,

Fernando Pompeu

³Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Física (PPGEF-UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

,

Liliam Fernandes de Oliveira

¹Programa de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

²Escola de Educação Física e Desportos, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

The Achilles tendon stores and releases strain energy, influencing running economy. The present study aims to verify the influence of the Achilles tendon tangent modulus, as a material property, on running economy by comparing two groups of elite endurance-performance athletes undergoing different running training volumes. Twelve athletes, six long-distance runners and six pentathletes, were studied. Long-distance runners had a higher weekly running training volume (116.7±13.7 vs. 58.3±20.4 km, p<0.05) and a better running economy (204.3±12.0 vs. 222.0±8.7 O₂ mL ∙ kg⁻¹ ∙ km⁻¹, p<0.05) evaluated in a treadmill at 16 km·h^–1, 1% inclination. Both groups presented similar VO_2max (68.5±3.8 vs. 65.7±5.0 mL ∙ min⁻¹ ∙ kg⁻¹, p>0.05). Achilles tendon tangent modulus was estimated from ultrasound-measured deformations, with the ankle passively mobilized by a dynamometer. True stress was calculated from the measured torque. The long-distance runners had a higher maximum tangent modulus (380.6±92.2 vs. 236.2±82.6 MPa, p<0.05) and maximum true stress than pentathletes (24.2±5.1 vs. 16.0±3.5 MPa, p<0.05). The correlation coefficient between tangent modulus at larger deformations was R=–0.7447 (p<0.05). Quantifying tendon tissue adaptations associated with different running training volumes will support subject and modality-specific workouts prescription of elite endurance athletes.

Key words

tangent modulus - pentathletes - long-distance runners - stress-strain curve - statistical parametric mapping (spm)

Full Text

References

References
1 Rosager S, Aagard P, Poulsen P. et al. Load-displacement properties of the human triceps surae aponeurosis and tendon in runners and non-runners. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2002; 12: 90-98
2 Joseph MF, Lillie KR, Bergeron DJ. et al. Achilles tendon biomechanics in response to acute intense exercise. J Strength Cond Res 2014; 28: 1181-1186
3 Ooi CC, Schneider ME, Malliaras P. et al. Prevalence of morphological and mechanical stiffness alterations of mid Achilles tendons in asymptomatic marathon runners before and after a competition. Skeletal Radiol 2015; 44: 1119-1127
4 Saunders PU, Pyne DB, Telford RD. et al. Factors affecting running economy in trained distance runners. Sports Med 2004; 34: 465-485
5 Saunders PU, Telford RD, Pyne DB. et al. Short-term plyometric training improves running economy in highly trained middle and long distance runners. J Strength Cond Res 2006; 20: 947-954
6 Jones AM. The physiology of the world record holder for the women’s marathon. Int J Sports Sci Coach 2006; 1: 101-116
7 Fletcher JR, MacIntosh BR. Achilles tendon strain energy in distance running: consider the muscle energy cost. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2015; 118: 193-199
8 Tawa N, Louw Q. Biomechanical factors associated with running economy and performance of elite kenyan distance runners: a systematic review. J Bodyw Mov Ther 2018; 22: 1-10
9 Barnes KR, Kilding AE. Running economy: measurement, norms, and determining factors. Sports Med Open 2015; 1: 8
10 Sjodin B, Svedenhag J. Applied physiology of marathon running. Sports Med 1985; 2: 83-99
11 Tartaruga MP, Brisswalter J, Mota CB. et al. Mechanical work and long-distance performance prediction: the influence of allometric scaling. J Hum Kinet 2013; 28: 73-82
12 Scrimgeour AG, Noakes TD, Adams B. et al. The influence of weekly training distance on fractional utilization of maximum aerobic capacity in marathon and ultramarathon runners. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1986; 55: 202-209
13 Dalleau G, Belli A, Bourdin M. et al. The spring-mass model and the energy cost of treadmill running. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1998; 77: 257-263
14 Arampatzis A, De Monte G, Karamanidis K. et al. Influence of the muscle-tendon unit’s mechanical and morphological properties on running economy. J Exp Biol 2006; 209: 3345-3357
15 Mian OS, Thom JM, Ardigo LP. et al. Metabolic cost, mechanical work, and efficiency during walking in young and older men. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2006; 186: 127-139
16 Tartaruga MP, Brisswalter J, Peyré-Tartaruga LA. et al. The relationship between running economy and biomechanical variables in distance runners. Res Q Exerc Sport 2012; 83: 367-375
17 Arampatzis A, Karamanidis K, Morey-Klapsing G. et al. Mechanical properties of the triceps surae tendon and aponeurosis in relation to intensity of sport activity. J Biomech 2007; 40: 1946-1952
18 Hobara H, Kimura K, Omuro K. et al. Differences in lower extremity stiffness between endurance-trained athletes and untrained subjects. J Sci Med Sport 2010; 13: 106-111
19 Tam N, Tucker R, Santos-Concejero J. et al. Running economy: Neuromuscular and joint-stiffness contributions in trained runners. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2019; 14: 16-22
20 Kubo K, Tabata T, Ikebukuro T. et al. Effects of mechanical properties of muscle and tendon on performance in long distance runners. Eur J Appl Physiol 2010; 110: 507-514
21 Oliveira LF, Peixinho CC, Silva GA. et al. In vivo passive mechanical properties estimation of Achilles tendon using ultrasound. J Biomech 2016; 49: 507-513
22 Heck S. Making Debrouillards: The modern pentathlon and the pursuit of completeness. Olympika: . The International Journal of Olympic Studies 2010; 19: 139-158
23 Harriss DJ, Macsween A, Atkinson G. Ethical Standards in sport and exercise science research: 2020 update. Int J Sports Med 2019; 40: 813-817
24 Xavier R, Sánchez C, Paulucio D. et al. A multidimensional approach to assessing anthropometric and aerobic fitness profiles of elite brazilian endurance athletes and military personnel. Mil Med 2019; 184: 875-881
25 Howley ET, Bassett DRJ, Welch HG. Criteria for maximal oxygen uptake: review and commentary. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1995; 27: 1292-1301
26 Billat V, Lepretre PM, Heugas AM. et al. Training and bioenergetic characteristics in elite male and female Kenyan runners. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003; 35: 297-304
27 Laumets R, Viigipuu K, Mooses K. et al. Lower leg length is associated with running economy in high level caucasian distance runners. J Hum Kinet 2017; 56: 229-239
28 Foster C, Lucia A. Running economy. Sports Med 2007; 37: 316-319
29 Grieve D, Pheasen S, Cavanagh P. Prediction of gastrocnemius length from . knee and ankle posture. Biomechanics 1978 4. 405-412
30 Zhao H, Ren Y, Wu Y. et al. Ultrasonic evaluations of Achilles tendon mechanical properties poststroke. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2009; 106: 843-849
31 Menegaldo LL, Fleury AT, Weber HI. Moment arms and musculotendon lengths estimation for a three-dimensional lower-limb model. J Biomech 2004; 37: 1447-1453
32 Morse CI, Degens H, Seynnes OR. et al. The acute effect of stretching on the passive stiffness of the human gastrocnemius muscle tendon unit. J Physiol 2008; 586: 97-106
33 Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc; 2nd ed.. 1988
34 Pataky TC. One-dimensional statistical parametric mapping in Python. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin 2012; 15: 295-301
35 Stenroth L, Cronin NJ, Peltonen J. et al. Triceps surae muscle-tendon properties in older endurance- and sprint-trained. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2016; 120: 63-69
36 Vergari C, Pourcelot P, Holden L. et al. True stress and Poisson’s ratio of tendons during loading. J Biomech 2011; 44: 719-724
37 Dellagrana RA, Guglielmo LGA, Santos BV. et al. Physiological, anthropometric, strength, and muscle power characteristics correlates with running performance in young runners. J Strength Cond Res 2015; 29: 1584-1591
38 Rabadán M, Díaz V, Calderón FJ. et al. Physiological determinants of speciality of elite middle- and long-distance runners. J Sports Sci 2011; 29: 975-98
39 Daniels J. Pentathlon performance physiology. JAMA 1972; 221: 1029-1031
40 Meur YL, Dorel S, Baup Y. et al. Physiological demand and pacing strategy during the new combined event in elite pentathletes. Eur J Appl Physiol 2012; 112: 2583-2593
41 Spurrs RW, Murphy AJ, Watsford ML. The effect of plyometric training on distance running performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 2003; 89: 1-7
42 Lanferdini FJ, Silva ES, Machado E. et al. Physiological predictors of maximal incremental running performance. Front Physiol 2020; 11: 979
43 Kipp S, Kram R, Hoogkamer W. Extrapolating metabolic savings in running: Implications for performance predictions. Front Physiol 2019; 10: 79