Table 3.
Peak length changes and velocities of the muscle–tendon unit (MTU), muscle fascicles, elastic element (EE), Achilles tendon (AT), and muscle length during landing in the training group (TG) and the control group (CG) measured during pre-test (pre) and post-test (post).
| TG |
CG |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Post | CI | Pre | Post | CI | ||
| Δl Max lengthening [mm] | MTU GM α | -32 ± 7 | -30 ± 6 | -7.1 to 1.4 | -25 ± 6 | -23 ± 6 | -6.9 to 2.0 |
| MTU SOL | -35 ± 7 | -33 ± 5 | -6.3 to 2.0 | -30 ± 6 | -27 ± 6 | -6.7 to 2.1 | |
| Fascicles GM α | -14 ± 4 | -10 ± 2 | -6.1 to -1.1∗x | -16 ± 3 | -15 ± 2 | -4.0 to 1.1 | |
| Fascicles SOL | -11 ± 4 | -8 ± 2 | -4.2 to -0.2∗ | -12 ± 3 | -11 ± 2 | -2.4 to 1.8 | |
| AT GM | -12 ± 2 | -11 ± 3 | -2.3 to 1.0 | -10 ± 3 | -11 ± 3 | -1.0 to 2.6 | |
| Muscle GM | -23 ± 7 | -22 ± 6 | -5.5 to 3.4 | -18 ± 7 | -15 ± 7 | -7.4 to 1.8 | |
| Peak vel [mm s-1] | MTU GM | 617 ± 163 | 560 ± 118 | -41 to 155 | 508 ± 131 | 451 ± 132 | -46 to 160 |
| MTU SOL | 610 ± 151 | 567 ± 100 | -47 to 134 | 514 ± 115 | 467 ± 114 | -47 to 142 | |
| fascicles GM | 134 ± 44 | 106 ± 26 | 0 to 56∗x | 155 ± 24 | 148 ± 24 | -23 to 36 | |
| fascicles SOL | 102 ± 26 | 91 ± 17 | -9 to 30 | 118 ± 32 | 112 ± 19 | -15 to 25 | |
| AT GM | 265 ± 36 | 250 ± 58 | -24 to 55 | 264 ± 73 | 297 ± 88 | -74 to 9 | |
Values are means ± SD; CI, 95% confidence interval of differences; GM, gastrocnemius medialis; SOL, soleus; ∗P < 0.05 comparing raw values pre- and post-test, §P < 0.05 comparing values normalized to instantaneous MTU length pre- and post-test, bbb[scale=0.4]img001 P < 0.05 comparing baseline, raw values between the groups. NB: When normalized to MTU length, all variables were similar between groups at baseline.