Table 2.
Participant characteristics at baseline for each group. Values are mean (SD) unless otherwise noted
| High Load | Low Load | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| with High TUT (n = 12) |
with Low TUT (n = 12) |
with High TUT (n = 12) |
with Low TUT (n = 12) |
|
| Age, years | 42.0 (11.4) | 43.0 (11.3) | 41.6 (7.2) | 46.3 (11.9) |
| Height, cm | 177.8 (6.2) | 176.6 (10.3) | 178.1 (8.2) | 175.0 (8.2) |
| Mass, kg | 89.0 (17.9) | 97.0 (18.1) | 84.6 (17.1) | 94.5 (13.7) |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 28.0 (4.6) | 31.1 (5.3) | 26.6 (4.4) | 30.6 (6.4) |
| Employmenta | ||||
| Full-time | 10 (83) | 8 (67) | 10 (83) | 9 (75) |
| Part-time | 0 | 1 (8) | 0 | 1 (8) |
| Casual | 1 (8) | 1 (8) | 0 | 1 (8) |
| Self-employed | 0 | 2 (17) | 1 (8) | 1 (8) |
| Student | 1 (8) | 0 | 1 (8) | 0 |
| Duration of symptoms, monthsb | 11.0 (39) | 54.0 (83) | 18.0 (30) | 12.0 (36) |
| Dominant side, − righta | 11 (92) | 11 (92) | 8 (67) | 10 (83) |
| Presentation, unilateral/ bilateral a | 7 (58) / 5 (42) | 6 (50) / 6 (50) | 4 (33) / 8 (67) | 6 (50) / 6 (50) |
| Achilles tendon AP diameter, mmc | 6.9 (1.3) | 7.8 (1.9) | 7.3 (2.2) | 8.5 (3.1) |
| Prior exercise treatment, yes a | 3 (25) | 4 (33) | 6 (50) | 8 (67) |
| Classified Achilles pain quality a,d | 7 (58) | 10 (83) | 9 (75) | 9 (75) |
| Intensity of Achilles pain a | ||||
| Mild | 3 (25) | 3 (25) | 2 (17) | 4 (33) |
| Moderate | 9 (75) | 5 (42) | 8 (66) | 4 (33) |
| Severe | 0 | 4 (33) | 2 (17) | 4 (33) |
| VISA–A | 55.3 (13.4) | 44.8 (18.1) | 46.0 (15.8) | 54.7 (9.8) |
| Pain Detect | 10.0 (5.2) | 12.2 (6.1) | 10.0 (6.0) | 10.0 (5.0) |
Abbreviations: TUT time-under-tension, VISA–A Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment–Achilles questionnaire. an (%). bMedian (interquartile range). cMeasured using b-mode sonography. dMeasured using pain mapping app