TABLE 1.
Comparison of the mean cross‐sectional area (CSA) of the ankle tendons between different groups (young, middle‐age, and old)
| Variable | Sample (n = 60) | Young (n = 20) | Middle‐age (n = 20) | Old (n = 20) | p‐value | Middle‐age X Young (ES) | Middle‐age X Old (ES) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side (R: L) | 30: 30 | 9: 11 | 8: 12 | 13: 7 | — | — | — |
| Age | 44.4 ± 19.9 | 22.5 ± 4.5 | 40.6 ± 8.00 | 69.9 ± 9.1 | <0.01 | — | — |
| Gender (M: F) | 30: 30 | 10: 10 | 10: 10 | 10: 10 | — | — | — |
| Weight | 77.9 ± 15.4 | 72.4 ± 16.5 | 80.6 ± 17.8 | 74.7 ± 9.8 | 0.32 | — | — |
| TA_CSA_normalized | 0.64 ± 0.15 | 0.65 ± 0.13 | 0.67 ± 0.09 | 0.61 ± 0.18 | 0.29 | 0.18 | 0.42 |
| TP_CSA_normalized | 0.85 ± 0.23 | 0.91 ± 0.22 | 0.87 ± 0.16 | 0.80 ± 0.28 | 0.28 | 0.21 | 0.31 |
| FT_CSA_normalized | 0.99 ± 0.25 | 0.93 ± 0.18 | 1.06 ± 0.21 | 0.93 ± 0.28 | 0.13 | 0.66 | 0.53 |
| AT_CSA_normalized | 2.59 ± 0.52 | 2.51 ± 0.58 | 3.42 ± 0.58 | 2.61 ± 0.51 | <0.01 a | 1.57 b | 1.48 b |
p‐value <0.01 as shown as bold.
Abbreviations: AT, Achilles; ES, effect size; FT, fibularis; mm2/Kg3/4, normalization; TA, tibialis anterior; TP, tibialis posterior.
a
There were significant differences of the AT CSA between middle‐age and young and between middle‐age and old groups (ANOVA one‐way and Bonferroni post hoc comparison; p < 0.01).
b
The effect size for both comparisons was considered large according to Cohen's d values.