BAREFOOT RUNNING WITH ELONGATED OR SHORTENED ACHILLES TENDON AFTER RUPTURE

Authors

  • Daniel Jandacka
  • Jaroslav Uchytil
  • David Zahradník
  • Roman Farana
  • Julia Freedman Silvernail
  • Joseph Hamill

Keywords:

Achilles tendon, rupture, barefoot running, biomechanics, injury prevention

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the internal abduction moment in the knee joint during barefoot (BF) running by athletes who have experienced Achilles tendon (AT) rupture compared to a control group. The study featured 14 recreational runners without other acutemusculo-skeletal injuries. Three groups were created: with a shortened AT (n = 3), with an elongated AT (n = 6), and a control group (n = 5). Kinematic and ground reaction force data were synchronized and then used to calculate the internal abduction moment in the knee. The normalized maximum values of internal abduction moment in the knee joint of the affected limb for the experimental groups exceeded those for the healthy subjects(ES > 0.81). These data suggest that biomechanical risk factors for knee osteoarthritis in limbs with a history of AT rupture may be increased during BF running.

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Published

2016-05-05