Colorado Permanente Medical Group, Denver, Colorado, USA.
Logan Regional Orthopedics, Intermountain Medical Group, Logan, Utah, USA.
J Ultrasound Med. 2020 Mar;39(3):491-496. doi: 10.1002/jum.15125. Epub 2019 Sep 6.
The Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the human body, and Achilles tendinopathy is common in athletes due to the stress imparted by repetitive forces. The prevalence of Achilles tendon abnormalities in asymptomatic elite runners is unknown. Since there is a substantial risk of developing symptomatic tendinopathy in those with abnormal tendons, identifying those asymptomatic athletes with abnormal tendons and characterizing baseline characteristics of elite runners using ultrasound (US) are valuable injury prevention tools.
This study used US to evaluate the Achilles tendons of 27 asymptomatic National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I cross-country athletes and performed correlations between dominant and nondominant side tendon size (cross-sectional area [CSA] and thickness) and athlete characteristics. Tendons were also assessed for signs of abnormalities that were suggestive of Achilles tendinopathy.
The prevalence of tendon abnormalities in asymptomatic collegiate runners was 11%. Among the participants included in this study, dominant and nondominant Achilles tendons did not vary significantly in thickness or CSA (P > .05). The CSA was found to correlate with height, weight, sex, body mass index, and miles run per week (P < .05). Thickness was found to correlate best with miles run per week (P < .05).
A US evaluation of the Achilles tendon has potential to identify changes in tendon size in addition to abnormalities consistent with tendinopathy. As more normative values are identified among various populations, tendon size may have prognostic value for collegiate athletes in the evaluation of Achilles tendinopathy.
跟腱是人体最强壮的肌腱，由于反复的力量作用，跟腱病在运动员中很常见。在无症状的精英跑者中，跟腱异常的患病率尚不清楚。由于那些有异常肌腱的人有发生症状性肌腱病的巨大风险，因此识别那些无症状的运动员有异常肌腱，并使用超声（US）对精英跑者进行基线特征的描述，这是有价值的损伤预防工具。
本研究使用 US 评估了 27 名无症状的美国全国大学体育协会（NCAA）一级越野赛运动员的跟腱，并对优势侧和非优势侧肌腱大小（横截面积[CSA]和厚度）与运动员特征之间进行相关性分析。还对肌腱进行了评估，以确定是否存在与跟腱病相符的异常迹象。
无症状大学生跑者的跟腱异常患病率为 11%。在本研究纳入的参与者中，优势侧和非优势侧跟腱的厚度或 CSA 无显著差异（P>.05）。CSA 与身高、体重、性别、体重指数和每周跑步英里数相关（P<.05）。厚度与每周跑步英里数相关性最好（P<.05）。
跟腱的 US 评估除了与肌腱病相符的异常外，还有可能识别肌腱大小的变化。随着在不同人群中确定更多的正常值，肌腱大小可能在评估大学生运动员的跟腱病时具有预后价值。
