Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28740756›Full record

ArticlePeerJ2017

Sonographic evaluation of the immediate effects of eccentric heel drop exercise on Achilles tendon and gastrocnemius muscle stiffness using shear wave elastography.

Wilson K C Leung, K L Chu, Christopher Lai

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PeerJ, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07360873 (Effect of Eccentric Exercises of Calf Muscles Versus Heel Insole Lift on Pain, Range of Motion, and Function in Football Players With Achilles Tendinopathy), which is not on this map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07360873 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Effect of Eccentric Exercises of Calf Muscles Versus Heel Insole Lift on Pain, Range of Motion, and Function in Football Players With Achilles Tendinopathy

TypeinterventionalSponsorAdnan HashimRan2025 to 2025Enrolled24ConditionsAchilles Tendinopathy (AT)ArmsEccentric Calf Muscle Exercises, Heel Insole Lift
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.

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  14. Differences in Medial and Lateral Gastrocnemius Stiffness after Exercise-Induced Muscle Fatigue.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Wilson K C LeungDepartment of Health Technology and Informatics, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
K L ChuDepartment of Health Technology and Informatics, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
Christopher LaiDepartment of Health Technology and Informatics, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University · HK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMechanical loading is crucial for muscle and tendon tissue remodeling. Eccentric heel drop exercise has been proven to be effective in the management of Achilles tendinopathy, yet its induced change in the mechanical property (i.e., stiffness) of the Achilles tendon (AT), medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles (MG and LG) was unknown. Given that shear wave elastography has emerged as a powerful tool in assessing soft tissue stiffness with promising intra- and inter-operator reliability, the objective of this study was hence to characterize the stiffness of the AT, MG and LG in response to an acute bout of eccentric heel drop exercise.

methodsForty-five healthy young adults (36 males and nine females) performed 10 sets of 15-repetition heel drop exercise on their dominant leg with fully-extended knee, during which the AT and gastrocnemius muscles, but not soleus, were highly stretched. Before and immediately after the heel drop exercise, elastic moduli of the AT, MG and LG were measured by shear wave elastography.

resultsAfter the heel drop exercise, the stiffness of AT increased significantly by 41.8 + 33.5% ( DISCUSSION: The gastrocnemius muscles were shown to bear larger mechanical loads than the AT during an acute bout of eccentric heel drop exercise. The findings from this pilot study shed some light on how and to what extent the AT and gastrocnemius muscles mechanically responds to an isolated set of heel drop exercise. Taken together, appropriate eccentric load might potentially benefit mechanical adaptations of the AT and gastrocnemius muscles in the rehabilitation of patients with Achilles tendinopathy.

Indexed as

Achilles tendonGastrocnemius muscleHeel drop exerciseMechanical adaptationsShear wave elastography

Identifiers

PMID28740756
PMCPMC5520961
OpenAlexW2738829555

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.