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The article reports that the efforts to reduce gymnastics injuries will focus on spring floors. Gymnasts from different countries suffered torn Achilles tendons while practicing or competing in floor exercise at the World Championships in Anaheim, California, in 2003. Biomechanists suspect that the spring component of the floor exercise apparatus contribute to injury because it simultaneously increase forces being absorbed by the lower extremities and decrease the stability of the surface beneath them.

The article presents the findings of a study on the ability of contrast-enhanced cine magnetic resonance at 3T to provide an accurate way to predict and monitor recovery of Achilles tendon injuries conducted by researchers from the University of California in Los Angeles. The subjects underwent 30 days of chronic reduced load-bearing of one leg induced by 30 days of unilateral lower limb suspension. The researchers used a multichannel phased-array coil and a special strain-gauging device placed in the leg's cast to monitor Achilles tendon stiffness changes.