Applied Sciences (Sep 2020)

Effects of Achilles Tendon Moment Arm Length on Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy

  • Takuma Miyamoto,
  • Yasushi Shinohara,
  • Tomohiro Matsui,
  • Hiroaki Kurokawa,
  • Akira Taniguchi,
  • Tsukasa Kumai,
  • Yasuhito Tanaka

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/app10196631
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 19
p. 6631

Abstract

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Insertional Achilles tendinopathy (IAT) is caused by traction force of the tendon. The effectiveness of the suture bridge technique in correcting it is unknown. We examined the moment arm in patients with IAT before and after surgery using the suture bridge technique, in comparison to that of healthy individuals. We hypothesized that the suture bridge method influences the moment arm length. An IAT group comprising 10 feet belonging to 8 patients requiring surgical treatment for IAT were followed up postoperatively and compared with a control group comprising 15 feet of 15 healthy individuals with no ankle complaints or history of trauma or surgery. The ratio of the moment arm (MA) length/foot length was found to be statistically significant between the control group, the IAT group preoperatively and the IAT group postoperatively (p p < 0.05). This study demonstrates that a long moment arm may be one of the causes of IAT, and the suture bridge technique may reduce the Achilles tendon moment arm.

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