Understanding the role of the triceps surae muscle-tendon unit during rehabilitation from Achilles tendinopathy (PhD academy award)
My PhD aimed to gain insights in the relationship between triceps surae muscle force-sharing, Achilles tendon properties, and changes in pain, tendon structure and functioning during rehabilitation in patients with Achilles tendinopathy. The long-term aim of this work was to identify new outcomes that could optimise and improve rehabilitation strategies. We identified differences in force-sharing between patients with Achilles tendinopathy and healthy controls, assessed Achilles tendon property changes over time, compared responders from non-responders throughout rehabilitation and investigated the impact of incorporating Achilles (sub)tendon characteristics into musculoskeletal models. ### Why did I do it? The Achilles tendon is connected to, and loaded through force production of the three triceps surae muscle forces: the soleus (SOL), the gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) and medialis (GM). Tendon remodelling occurs due to repetitive, high or unusual loads as internal tendon strains will
