Heel Today, Rear Tomorrow?: How Achilles Tendinopathy May Affect the Glutes
When you suffer an injury tors and researchers are learning about these kinds of causes and effects.
One lower body affliction is Achilles tendinopathy. Somewhat common in runners, it involves swelling and pain in an Achilles tendon, which connects the calf muscle to the heel. It can sometimes be caused by overtraining.
Connecting the Achilles Tendons to the Behind
It’s possible that this affliction has repercussions that travel up tocks.
Consider the results of a study that Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise ― which is a publication of the American College of Sports Medicine ― released in October 2013. Its authors were a widely respected group of researchers. This project involved 33 male subjects, all of whom were frequent runners. In that group, 19 men were in good health, and 14 men suffered from Achilles tendinopathy. The leaders of this study observed the following:
● Those who had the tendon condition had a different manner of moving their feet and striking their heels. ● As they ran, that variance caused the gluteus medius and gluteus maximus muscles to get activated later than they would’ve been otherwise. ● Thus, when the tendinopathy was present, the glutes were not as active during runs as they should have been.
What Caused the Problem in the First Place?
These findings raise a couple of major questions:
● Does this type of injury cause the butto become less active? ● Maybe the opposite is true. Did those runners have less active glutes to the issue with their Achilles tendons?
It’s an important matter for experts to an improper style of movement, perhaps at an early age, and no one ever notices the faults in their positioning or footwork. Therefore, coaches and trainers should always be on the lookout for awkward or erroneous form. With correct posture and mechanics, the glutes can be fully engaged during a run.
On the other hand, it could be that this tendinopathy leads toms.
A Growing (Lower) Body of Knowledge
Either way, doctor whenever they’re diagnosing problems with the Achilles tendon.
In the future, medical studies might reveal other connections between sports injuries and muscle dysfunctions. Those discoveries could lead to more accurate diagnoses, improved methods of training, and more effective forms of treatment and rehabilitation.
About the Author
Dr. Lev Kalika is a world-recognized expert in musculoskeletal ultrasonography, with 20+ years of clinical experience in advanced rehabilitative medicine. In addition to operating his clinical practice in Manhattan, he regularly publishes peer-reviewed research on ultrasound-guided therapies and procedures.
Dr. Kalika is an esteemed member of the International Society for Medical Shockwave Treatment ((SMST), and the only clinician in New York certified by the ISMST to perform extracorporeal shockwave therapy. He is also an active member of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), and has developed his own unique approach to dynamic functional and fascial ultrasonography.
In this instance, an athlete was originally diagnosed with minor quadriceps muscle strain and was treated for four weeks, with unsatisfactory results. When he came to our clinic, the muscle was not healing, and the patients’ muscle tissue had already begun to atrophy.
Upon examination using MSUS, we discovered that he had a full muscle thickness tear that had been overlooked by his previous provider. To mitigate damage and promote healing, surgery should have been performed immediately after the injury occurred. Because of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment, the patient now has permanent damage that cannot be corrected.
The most important advantage of Ultrasound over MRI imaging is its ability to zero in on the symptomatic region and obtain imaging, with active participation and feedback from the patient. Using dynamic MSUS, we can see what happens when patients contract their muscles, something that cannot be done with MRI. From a diagnostic perspective, this interaction is invaluable.
Dynamic ultrasonography examination demonstrating the full thickness tear and already occurring muscle atrophy due to misdiagnosis and not referring the patient to proper diagnostic workup
Demonstration of how very small muscle defect is made and revealed to be a complete tear with muscle contraction under diagnostic sonography (not possible with MRI)
Complete tear of rectus femoris with large hematoma (blood)
Separation of muscle ends due to tear elicited on dynamic sonography examination
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