Differences Between Long Distance Road Runners and Treadmill Runners in Achilles Tendon Structure

January 23, 2026 updated by: Gali Dar, University of Haifa

Differences Between Long Distance Road Runners and Treadmill Runners in Achilles Tendon Structure, Muscle Strength, Proprioception and Balance Performance

this study will investigate the structure of the Achilles tendon and functional tests in road runners compared to treadmill runners.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Healthy runners (road and treadmill runners) who run regularly at least twice a week for half an hour, over 80% of the training on the treadmill or road, will be recruited for the study.

All subjects will fill out a demographic questionnaire for personal details (age, sex, height, weight, past injuries, training). Each participant will undergo functional tests in random order: 1. Examination of the morphology of the Achilles tendon - will be examined by ultrasound tissue characterized (UTC) 2. Balance test - Y Balance Test 3. Proprioception test - AMEDA device 4. Muscle strength test - manual dynamometer for testing gastrocnemius muscle strength. 5. Gastrocnemius muscle endurance test - single leg heel raise test until fatigue.

A comparison will be made between the two study groups.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

48

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Israel
      • Netanya, Israel
        • The Academic College at Wingate

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

healthy runners who run on a regular basis, without injuries or pain during the last 6 months

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • run regularly at least twice a week for half an hour,
  • over 80% of the training on a treadmill or road

Exclusion Criteria:

  • pain or injury to Achilles tendon during the 6 months, preventing running for at least 3 days.
  • past Achilles tendon surgeries,
  • sprained ankle in the last six months,
  • lower limb and back pain while running
  • participants who report running with minimalist shoes.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
treadmill group
healthy subjects who run regularly at least twice a week for half an hour, over 80% of the training on treadmill.
road group
healthy subjects who run regularly at least twice a week for half an hour, over 80% of the training on road.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
muscle strength test
Time Frame: baseline
hand held dynamometer dynamometer assessment of Gastrocnemius muscle
baseline
ultrasound tissue characterized
Time Frame: baseline
percentage of type 1,2,3,4 fibers within the tendon
baseline
Balance test
Time Frame: baseline
Y Balance Test - composite score: sum of 3 reach directions in centimeters divided by 3 times the limb length then multiplied by 100
baseline
Proprioception test
Time Frame: baseline
AMEDA device - scores between 0 and 1, A higher score represents better proprioception ability.
baseline
endurance test gastrocnemius muscle
Time Frame: baseline
number of single leg heel raise test until fatigue
baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Haifa

Collaborators

Zinman College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Gali Dar, Prof., University of Haifa

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

June 10, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 15, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

August 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 27, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 4, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

March 5, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 26, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 23, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 026/24

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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