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Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Complexities of Achilles Tendon Injuries — Research and Future Directions

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Complexities of Achilles Tendon Injuries — Research and Future Directions

Published on: October 27, 2023

Evidence for an elongated Achilles tendon in Australopithecus.

Ellison J McNutt¹, Jeremy M DeSilva²

¹Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)

|March 6, 2020

Summary

Modern humans have uniquely long Achilles tendons (AT), crucial for efficient locomotion. This study reveals a new method using calcaneal morphology to estimate AT length in fossils, suggesting early human ancestors had longer ATs than previously believed.

Keywords:

Achilles tendon Australopithecus calcanei endurance running hominin

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Area of Science:

Paleoanthropology
Primate Anatomy
Biomechanics

Background:

Modern humans possess the longest Achilles tendons (AT) among primates, potentially enhancing locomotor efficiency.
AT elongation is hypothesized to be key in the evolution of the genus Homo.
Estimating AT length in extinct hominins is challenging due to tendon non-fossilization.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between calcaneal superior facet area and AT length in extant primates.
To develop a reliable method for estimating AT length in fossil hominins.
To infer the AT morphology and locomotor capabilities of Australopithecus.

Main Methods:

Photographic analysis of calcanei from 145 extant anthropoid primates across 12 genera.
Quantification of the relative superior calcaneal facet size.
Correlation of facet size with published AT length data.

Main Results:

A strong predictive relationship was found between relative superior facet area and AT length in primates (R² = 0.83, p < .001).
Significant differences in facet area were observed between great apes and humans (p < .001).
Application to Australopithecus calcanei suggests a longer, more human-like AT than previously inferred.

Conclusions:

The superior calcaneal facet area serves as a reliable proxy for AT length in primates.
Australopiths likely possessed a longer Achilles tendon, impacting their locomotor abilities.
These findings offer new insights into the evolution of human locomotion and the genus Homo.