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The Achilles tendons are the primary tendons required for locomotion. The contraction of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles result in a translational force through the Achilles tendon that results in downward motion of the foot away from the body. This is much necessary for actions like walking, running etc. During the motion, this provides both the elasticity and shock-absorption (visco-elasticity) to the foot. Despite being one of the strongest tendons in the body, it can undergo damage, known as tendonitis. About 30% of athletes undergo Achilles tendinopathy, with about 10% of yearly recurrence. While minor swelling can be treated easily, a rupture will require a surgery for treatment. Thus, comprehending motion in relation with fiber realignment and damage at the microstructural scales can enable.

Our work aims to couple three different scales: Skeleton scale (rigid-body-dynamics) with tendon scale (flexible-body elasticity) with microstructural changes (microscale damage at the fiber-matrix) to enable coupling real-world boundary conditions with the multiscale approach. The coupling of scales will enable to accurately calculate the realistic fiber alignment and thus better calculation of the stress concentrations for rupture modelling. The developed models will be validated and iterated with human foot experiments, done in collaboration with colleagues in Finland.

The Achilles tendons are the primary tendons required for locomotion. The contraction of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles result in a translational force through the Achilles tendon that results in downward motion of the foot away from the body. This is much necessary for actions like walking, running etc. During the motion, this provides both the elasticity and shock-absorption (visco-elasticity) to the foot. Despite being one of the strongest tendons in the body, it can undergo damage, known as tendonitis. About 30% of athletes undergo Achilles tendinopathy, with about 10% of yearly recurrence. While minor swelling can be treated easily, a rupture will require a surgery for treatment. Thus, comprehending motion in relation with fiber realignment and damage at the microstructural scales can enable.

Our work aims to couple three different scales: Skeleton scale (rigid-body-dynamics) with tendon scale (flexible-body elasticity) with microstructural changes (microscale damage at the fiber-matrix) to enable coupling real-world boundary conditions with the multiscale approach. The coupling of scales will enable to accurately calculate the realistic fiber alignment and thus better calculation of the stress concentrations for rupture modelling. The developed models will be validated and iterated with human foot experiments, done in collaboration with colleagues in Finland.