A Runner's Achilles Tendon Can Handle Ups and Downs Better Than Expected

First Posted: Feb 12, 2015 11:40 AM EST
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Runners have to be careful with their feet, especially when it comes to their Achilles tendon. Long distance runners can often injure this tendon during races; now, researchers have taken a closer look at this tendon and have found that it's stronger than previously thought.

An estimated 52 percent of distance runners injure their Achilles at some point. However, it turns out the tendon is capable of adapting to uphill and downhill running better than previously expected.

"Runners can know it is safe to transition to downhill running and include it in normal training and racing," said Katy Neves, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Though there are greater forces placed on your body during downhill running, the benefits can outweigh the risks."

In order to test the Achilles tendon, the researchers asked 20 female runners to run three different times on an instrumented treadmill. Each runner had to be able to run a 5K in under 24 minutes. The women ran at three different grades (elevations) on three separate days, with at least 48 hours between each round. Knowing that the Achilles becomes more pliant and thinner from exercise, the researchers used ultrasound imaging to examine the thickness and stretch on Achilles tendons before and after each trial.

Although the downhill running resulted in the largest peak force on the runners, the researchers were surprised to find that no significant differences in Achilles tendon thickness changes between running grades. This finding, in particular, means there is no increased risk for Achilles injury when running at different grades.

"Over time, runners adapt to the forces placed on their body, so even when the forces are higher (running downhill), if the adaptation process is gradual, the injury risk drops," said Neves. "Our bodies are amazing and are very good at adapting to the conditions we put them in."

The new research could be especially important for marathon runners when it comes to training. It appears that the main cause of any running injury is a sudden change in training; gradually changing a regimen to avoid injury is what's important.

The findings are published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine.

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