Quantification of Achilles Tendon Force Enhancement by Passively Induced Dorsiflexion Stretches

Abstract

Magnitude of the reflex contribution to force enhancement was investigated in vivo during passive stretches of the Achilles tendon (AT) of one female subject. Thirty passive (5 × 6) dorsiflexions were induced by a motorized ankle ergometer. Achilles tendon force (ATF) was sensed by a buckle transducer applied surgically around the right AT. Single passive stretches resulted in a low but rather linear ATF increase in the absence of EMG (surface electrodes) activity. In the presence of reflexes, a clear ATF enhancement occurred 13–15 ms after the beginning of the EMG reflex responses. In double dorsiflexions at either 1.2 or 1.9 rad · s-1, which were separated by a maintained stretched position of either 40 or 90 ms, the first stretch resulted in initial linear ATF increase, followed by an additional force enhancement during the plateau phase. This reflexly induced increase represented 94 ± 4 N and 184 ± 1 N, respectively, for the 40 and the 90 ms plateaus, corresponding to 210 ± 85% and 486 ± 177% enhancements as compared to the first passive stretch effect. The results suggest further that timing of the stretch during the twitch response influences the magnitude and rate of force potentiation.