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JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
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Research
article
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COMPARISON OF PATHWAY AND CENTER OF GRAVITY OF THE CALCANEUS ON NON-INVOLVED AND INVOLVED SIDES ACCORDING TO ECCENTRIC AND CONCENTRIC STRENGTHENING IN PATIENTS WITH ACHILLES TENDINOPATHY |
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JaeHo Yu1 and GyuChang Lee2  |
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1Department of Physical Therapy, Sahmyook University, Seoul, Republic of Korea 2Department of Physical Therapy, Kyungnam University, Changwon-si, Republic of Korea |
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© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2012) 11, 136 - 140 |
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| ABSTRACT | |||
| This study compares the changes in pathway and center of gravity
(COG) on the calcaneus of non-involved and involved sides according to eccentric
and concentric strengthening in patients with unilateral Achilles tendinopathy.
The goal was to define the biomechanical changes according to eccentric
strengthening for the development of clinical guidelines. Eighteen patients
with Achilles tendinopathy were recruited at the K Rehabilitation Hospital
in Seoul. The subjects were instructed to perform 5 sessions of concentric
strengthening. The calcaneal pathway was measured using a three-dimensional
(3D) motion analyzer, and COG was measured by a force plate. Subsequently,
eccentric strengthening was implemented, and identical variables were measured.
Concentric and eccentric strengthening was carried out on both the involved
and non-involved sides. There was no significant difference in the calcaneal
pathway in patients with Achilles tendinopathy during concentric and eccentric
strengthening. However, during eccentric strengthening, the calcaneal pathway
significantly increased on the involved side compared to the non-involved
side for all variables excluding the z-axis. COG significantly decreased
on the involved side when compared to the non-involved side in patients
with Achilles tendinopathy during eccentric and concentric strengthening.
During concentric strengthening, all variables of the COG significantly
increased on the involved side compared to the non-involved side. Compared
with eccentric strengthening, concentric strengthening decreased the stability
of ankle joints and increased the movement distance of the calcaneus in
patients with Achilles tendinopathy. Furthermore, eccentric strengthening
was verified to be an effective exercise method for prevention of Achilles
tendinopathy through the reduction of forward and backward path length of
foot pressure. The regular application of eccentric strengthening was found
to be effective in the secondary prevention of Achilles tendinopathy in
a clinical setting. Key words: Achilles tendinopathy, concentric, eccentric, motion analyzer, center of gravity, foot pressure. |
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