By Jordana Bieze Foster Running a marathon does not significantly affect Achilles tendon stiffness, suggesting that overuse may not explain Achilles ruptures in runners, according to a Finnish study published in the October issue of the Journal of Experimental Biology . Researchers from the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland analyzed 12 participants who ran a marathon-length distance on a treadmill and found that Achilles tendon stiffness one hour after the run was not significantly different from before the run. Achilles tendon force-elongation was characterized using an ankle dynamometer and simultaneous motion-capture-assisted ultrasonography; stiffness was defined as the slope of the force-elongation curve between 10% and 80% of maximum voluntary force
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Achilles tendon in runners maintains stiffness despite stress of marathon