Greater heel-rise endurance is related to better gait biomechanics in patients surgically treated for chronic Achilles tendon rupture

Abstract

PurposeTo determine the relationships among calf muscle function, tendon length and gait biomechanics in patients surgically treated for chronic Achilles tendon rupture.MethodsTwenty-one patients with chronic Achilles tendon rupture (mean age 62 ± 13 years) were evaluated by heel-rise endurance test, Achilles Tendon Resting Angle (ATRA), ultrasound measurement of tendon length and three-dimensional gait analysis. A bivariate two-sided correlation test was performed on all variables in all patients.ResultsBetter performance across all parameters of the heel-rise endurance test correlated with faster walking speed (r = 0.52–0.55), greater peak ankle power (r = 0.56–0.64), shorter stance phase (r = −0.52 to −0.76) and less peak ankle dorsiflexion angle (r = −0.49 to −0.64) during gait. Greater ATRA correlated with longer stance time (r = 0.47), greater peak ankle dorsiflexion angle (r = 0.48), less heel-rise repetitions (r = −0.52) and less heel-rise total work LSI (r = −0.44 to −0.59).ConclusionGreater calf muscle endurance, especially heel-rise total work, is moderately correlated (r = 0.49–0.76) to better ankle biomechanics during gait in patients surgically treated for CATR. The heel-rise endurance test may be a clinical proxy for power development in the ankle joint during gait.Level of evidenceIV.