Anat Biol Anthropol.  2023 Sep;36(3):87-93. 10.11637/aba.2023.36.3.87.

Morphological Classification of the Calcaneal Tendon According to Torsion at Insertion Site in Korean Population: A Cadaveric Study

• Choe Y
• Kim D
• Cho J
• Park KR
• Lee M
• Kwon HW
• Choi Yj
• Choi I
• Park J

• KMID: 2549047
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11637/aba.2023.36.3.87

Abstract

The calcaneal tendon is the longest and strongest tendon in the human body, formed by the gastrocnemius muscle and the soleus muscle. It is a torsion pattern that rotates spirally as it descends from the origin to the insertion. The purpose of this study is to present Korean anthropological characteristics by classifying of the calcaneal tendon according to torsion type and to provide basic data available for clinical field. 87 lower limbs (61 male, 26 female; average age 79.0±9.3 years) in a 10% formalin mixture were used. Torsion of the calcaneal tendon was classified into three types according to Edama et al’s classification (2016) in the Japanese. Type 1 (least torsion) is to attach only the soleus muscle at the anterior aspect where the insertion of the calcaneal tendon, Type 2 (moderate torsion) is to attach soleus muscle and the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle, Type 3 (extreme torsion) is to attach only the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle. As a result, Type 1 (least torsion) was found 21 (24.1%) lower limbs, type 2 (moderate torsion) was found 45 (52.8%) lower limbs, type 3 (extreme torsion) was found 21 (24.1%) lower limbs. There was no difference in the type of calcaneal tendon torsion according to gender and body side, and there was a significant different between the Korean and Japanese (p = 0.009). In conclusion, this study would provide basic anthropological data of calcaneal tendon by classifying into three torsion types in the Korean.

Keyword

Korean cadaver; Calcaneal tendon; Torsion; Lower limb