Comparison of estimates of Achilles tendon loading from inverse dynamics and inverse dynamics-based static optimisation during running

Tendon stress may be one of the important risk factors for running-related tendon injury. Several methods have been used to estimate Achilles tendon (AT) loading during a human performance such as inverse dynamics (ID) and inverse dynamics-based static optimisation (IDSO). Our purpose was to examine differences between ID and IDSO estimates of AT loading during running. Kinematic data were captured simultaneously with kinetic data. Imaging of the AT cross-sectional area was performed with ultrasound for 17 healthy runners (height: 170.2 ± 6.2 cm, mass: 63.9 ± 11.0 kg, age: 21.8 ± 1.4 years). AT stress, strain, and force were estimated from both ID and IDSO approaches. The two methods resulted in minimal differences (3.6–4.7%) in estimated peak AT stress, strain, and force (P = 0.051–0.054); however, IDSO estimates were greater (32.7–36.8%) during early-stance phase of running (P = 0.000–0.008). This difference in AT load during early-stance may be due to the inability of the ID to account muscle coactivation. The similarity between the peak AT loading for ID and IDSO methods revealed that the advantage of IDSO used to estimate muscle forces had little effect on the ankle plantar flexor peak forces during running. Therefore, the use of IDSO with a higher computational cost compared with ID may not be necessary for estimating AT stress during running.