Reduced Achilles Tendon Stiffness Disrupts Calf Muscle Neuromechanics in Elderly Gait

Abstract

Older adults walk slower and with a higher metabolic energy expenditure than younger adults. In this review, we explore the hypothesis that age-related declines in Achilles tendon stiffness increase the metabolic cost of walking due to less economical calf muscle contractions and increased proximal joint work. This viewpoint may motivate interventions to restore ankle muscle-tendon stiffness, improve walking mechanics, and reduce metabolic cost in older adults.

Keywords: Aging; Ankle exoskeleton; Biomechanics; Energy expenditure; Muscle mechanics; Stiffness.