Supplementary Material for: Reduced Achilles Tendon Stiffness Disrupts Calf Muscle Neuromechanics in Elderly Gait

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.

与年轻成年人相比，老年人步行速度更缓，代谢能量消耗更高。本综述探讨了如下假说：随年龄增长而来的跟腱（Achilles tendon）僵硬度下降，会因小腿肌肉收缩经济性降低、近端关节做功增加，推高步行的代谢成本。这一研究视角可为旨在恢复老年人踝关节肌-腱僵硬度、优化步行力学表现并降低其代谢成本的干预方案提供理论指引。