Is the muscle-tendon architecture of non-athletic Kenyans different from that of Japanese and French males?

Background: In endurance running, elite Kenyan runners are characterized by longer thigh, shank, and Achilles tendon (AT) lengths combined with shorter fascicles and larger medial gastrocnemius (MG) pennation angles than elite Japanese runners. These muscle-tendon characteristics may contribute to the running performance of Kenyans. Furthermore, these specific lower-leg musculoskeletal architectures have been confirmed not only in elite Kenyan runners but also in non-athletic Kenyans since early childhood. However, it remains questionable whether the differences in muscle-tendon architecture between Kenyans and Japanese differ from those of European Caucasians. Therefore, this study aimed to compare anthropometry and muscle-tendon architecture of young non-athletic Kenyan males with their Japanese and French counterparts.

Methods: A total of 235 young non-athletic males, aged 17-22 years, volunteered. The anthropometric measures, thigh, and shank lengths, as well as AT and MG muscle architecture, were measured using ultrasonography and a tape measure. Inter-group differences in anthropometry and muscle-tendon architecture were tested using one-way ANOVA and ANCOVA analyses controlling for shank length and muscle thickness.

Results: The anthropometric and muscle-tendon characteristics of the non-athletic French were closer to those of the Kenyans than to those of the Japanese. However, the ultrasonography analysis confirmed that the non-athletic Kenyans had the longest AT as well as the shortest MG fascicles and the largest pennation angle compared to the French and Japanese, even after controlling for shank length and muscle thickness with ANCOVA, respectively.

Conclusions: These results confirmed the specificity of the muscle-tendon architecture of the triceps surae in Kenyans in comparison to their Japanese and French counterparts in non-athletic adults. This study provides additional support to the fact that Kenyans may have musculotendinous advantages in endurance running.