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The twisted structure of the human A chilles tendon
Author(s) -
Edama M.,
Kubo M.,
Onishi H.,
Takabayashi T.,
Inai T.,
Yokoyama E.,
Hiroshi W.,
Satoshi N.,
Kageyama I.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.12342
Subject(s) - fascicle , anatomy , achilles tendon , tendon , torsion (gastropod) , cadaver , soleus muscle , gastrocnemius muscle , plantar flexion , medicine , ankle , skeletal muscle
The A chilles tendon ( AT ) consists of fascicles that originate from the medial head of the gastrocnemius ( MG ), lateral head of the gastrocnemius ( LG ), and soleus muscle ( Sol ). These fascicles are reported to have a twisted structure. However, there is no consensus as to the degree of torsion. The purpose of this study was to investigate the twisted structure of the AT at the level of fascicles that originate from the MG , LG , and Sol , and elucidate the morphological characteristics. Gross anatomical study of 60 J apanese cadavers (111 legs) was used. The AT fascicles originated from the MG , LG , and Sol were fused while twisting among themselves. There were three classification types depending on the degree of torsion. Further fine separation of each fascicle revealed MG ran fairly parallel in all types, whereas LG and Sol , particularly of the extreme type, were inserted onto the calcaneal tuberosity with strong torsion. In addition, the sites of Sol torsion were 3–5 cm proximal to the calcaneal insertion of the AT . These findings provide promising basic data to elucidate the functional role of the twisted structure and mechanisms for the occurrence of AT injury and other conditions.