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Updated: Apr 28, 2026
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Ultrasound Tissue Characterization of Human Achilles Tendon by Stability Quantification of Echo Patterns
Published on: September 5, 2025
747
Exploring Variable Achilles Tendon Loading Via Active Acoustics
Luis G Rosa1, Goktug C Ozmen2, Christopher Nichols2
1School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30318 USA.
IEEE Sensors Journal
|April 27, 2026
Summary
Active Acoustics (AA) offers a non-invasive method for measuring Achilles tendon (AT) loads, outperforming previous techniques in dynamic tracking and low latency. This advancement holds promise for real-time biomechanical analysis in assistive and rehabilitative technologies.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Musculoskeletal dynamics
- Human locomotion analysis
Background:
- Direct Achilles tendon (AT) load measurement is crucial for understanding muscle-tendon dynamics during locomotion.
- Existing methods struggle to capture internal tendon behavior due to limitations in measuring subcutaneous changes.
- A non-invasive approach is needed to bridge the gap between external forces and internal tendon dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate Active Acoustics (AA) as a novel non-invasive method for measuring Achilles tendon (AT) loads.
- To assess the performance of AA against Inverse Dynamics (ID) across various locomotion tasks.
- To explore the feasibility of continuous mechanical stimulation for dynamic AT load quantification.
Main Methods:
- Developed and implemented Active Acoustics (AA) using continuous mechanical stimulation.
- Compared AA performance against Inverse Dynamics (ID) in 10 healthy subjects.
- Collected data across 13 diverse tasks simulating varied AT force, displacement, and velocity conditions.
- Conducted synthetic benchmark tests to evaluate filtering latency and computational complexity.
Main Results:
- AA successfully tracked dynamic AT loading with low computational complexity and minimal filtering latency.
- Benchmark tests showed a strong Pearson correlation (r=0.95 ±0.02) during isometric contractions, validating continuous stimulation.
- AA captured task-specific AT loading variations, highlighting its effectiveness under different ankle joint dynamics.
- Achieved higher output frequency (500 Hz) with optimized performance at 750 Hz stimulation frequency.
Conclusions:
- Active Acoustics (AA) presents a viable non-invasive technique for real-time Achilles tendon (AT) load measurement.
- The continuous stimulation approach offers improved frequency response and low latency for biomechanical applications.
- AA shows significant potential for integration into assistive and rehabilitative devices, requiring further optimization.
