Morphological and mechanical properties of the Achilles tendon in adolescent boys

The present study aimed to investigate how the morphological and mechanical properties of Achilles tendon change in adolescent boys. Twenty-nine adolescent boys and 12 male adults participated. Ultrasonography was used to measure Achilles tendon elongation. The transition point, that is, the intersection point of the "Toeδ and "Linearδ regions was determined from tendon elongation-tendon force relationship, and the stiffness and Young's modulus of the Achilles tendon were calculated from linear region. The hysteresis was calculated as the ratio of the area within the tendon elongation-tendon force loop to the area beneath the load portion of the curve. The stiffness, Young's modulus and stress at transition point were greater in adults (544 ± 231 N/mm, 1.6 ± 0.7 GPa, 23 ± 6 MPa) than in adolescents (374 ± 177 N/mm, 1.1 ± 0.7 GPa, 19 ± 10 MPa). However, no differences were observed in the tendon length and the tendon cross-sectional area and stress at transition point between adolescents (174 ± 23 mm, 60 ± 11 mm², 6.1 ± 2.0 %) and adults (180 ± 30 mm, 63 ± 7 mm², 5.5 ± 2.2 %). The hysteresis in adolescents (20 ± 18 %) was greater than that of adults (12 ± 10 %). These results suggest that the morphological properties of Achilles tendon are similar between adolescents and adults, but that mechanical properties are altered with growth to become a stiffer and more spring-like structure.