A randomized crossover trial on the effects of cadence on calf raise test outcomes: cadence does matter

Key Points

1. The calf raise test is a common clinic tool to evaluate performance capacity of the calf muscle-tendon unit.

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The calf muscles make essential contributions to human movement, powering activities such as walking, running and jumping. Given their important functional role, evaluation of this muscle group is routinely incorporated into clinical assessment. The calf raise test is a commonly used clinical evaluation of performance capacity of the calf muscle-tendon unit.

The test involves performing heel lifts repeatedly—often while standing on one leg—for as many repetitions as possible. Because movement velocity can influence calf muscle-tendon unit mechanics and fatigue (1,2), performing the calf raise test at different speeds (i.e. cadence) may affect results.

Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cadence on calf raise test outcomes.

The calf muscles make essential contributions to human movement, powering activities such as walking, running and jumping.

The authors recommended 60 beats per minute as a standard cadence when performing the calf raise test but also highlighted that the selected cadence may be influenced by training and rehabilitation targets.

METHODS

• 36 healthy individuals (mean ± standard deviation age = 29 ± 5, body mass index = 29.1 ± 8.9; physical activity level = 25% moderate, 75% high) performed the calf raise test three times, at three separate test sessions.

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