Clinical Outcomes and Tendon Structure at 3- to 4-Year Follow-up After Exercise-Based Treatment of Patellar Tendinopathy: A Prospective Study.

Background: The long-term recovery (in years) of patellar tendinopathy treated with loading-based rehabilitation remains largely unknown.

Purpose: To examine the clinical outcome and tendon structure years after exercise-based treatment of chronic patellar tendinopathy.

Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Assessment of the Psychometric Properties of the Danish VISA-P.

Purpose: The objective of the current study was to conduct a rigorous assessment of the psychometric properties of the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-patellar tendinopathy (VISA-P).

Methods: Rasch analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and multivariable linear regression were used to assess the psychometric properties of the VISA-P questionnaire in 184 Danish patients with patellar tendinopathy who had symptoms ranging from under 3 months to over 1 year. A group of 100 healthy Danish persons was included as a reference for known-group validation.

Tendon Elongation and Function After Delayed or Standard Loading of Surgically Repaired Achilles Tendon Ruptures: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Achilles tendon ruptures often result in long-term functional deficits despite accelerated (standard) rehabilitation.

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to investigate if delayed loading would influence functional, clinical, and structural outcomes of the muscles and tendon 1 year after a surgical repair. It was hypothesized that delaying the loading would reduce the heel-rise height deficit 1 year after Achilles tendon rupture.

Mechanical properties and UTE-T2* in Patellar tendinopathy: The effect of load magnitude in exercise-based treatment.

Loading intervention is currently the preferred management of tendinopathy, but to what extent different loading regimes influence the mechanical response in tendons is scarcely investigated. Therefore, the purposes of the investigation were to examine the effect of exercise interventions with either high or low load magnitude applied to the tendinopathic patellar tendon and the influence on its mechanical, material, and morphological properties. Forty-four men with chronic patellar tendinopathy were randomized to 12 weeks of exercising with either; 55% of 1RM throughout the period (MSR group) or 90% of 1RM (HSR group), and with equal total exercise volume in both groups.

Clinical Outcomes, Structure, and Function Improve With Both Heavy and Moderate Loads in the Treatment of Patellar Tendinopathy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Loading interventions have become a predominant treatment strategy for tendinopathy, and positive clinical outcomes and tendon tissue responses may depend on the exercise dose and load magnitude.

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose was to investigate if the load magnitude influenced the effect of a 12-week loading intervention for patellar tendinopathy in the short term (12 weeks) and long term (52 weeks). We hypothesized that a greater load magnitude of 90% of 1 repetition maximum (RM) would yield a more positive clinical outcome, tendon structure, and tendon function compared with a lower load magnitude of 55% of 1 RM when the total exercise volume was kept equal in both groups.

The influence of an orthopaedic walker boot on forefoot force.

Background: In the treatment of an Achilles tendon rupture the patients are commonly equipped with an orthopaedic walker boot with wedges. To what extent this influences the tensile force placed on the Achilles tendon is unclear.

Purpose: To assess the forefoot force and describe changes in muscle activity of the medial gastrocnemius, soleus and tibialis anterior when using one or three wedges during ambulation in a weightbearing orthopaedic walker boot.

UTE T2* mapping of tendinopathic patellar tendons: an MRI reproducibility study.

Background: There is currently a lack of imaging modalities that can be used as a sensitive measure in tendinopathy. Recent findings suggest the applicability of ultra-short echo time (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2* mapping in tendons, but the reproducibility remains unknown.

Purpose: To evaluate test-retest reproducibility of UTE MRI T2* mapping of tendinopathic patellar tendons and to evaluate the intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of the measurement.

Heterotopic Ossification After an Achilles Tendon Rupture Cannot Be Prevented by Early Functional Rehabilitation: A Cohort Study.

Background: Tendon loading might play a role in the development of heterotopic ossification after Achilles tendon ruptures. Early heavy loading on a healing tendon in animals has been shown to prolong the proinflammatory response, and inflammatory cells are thought to drive heterotopic ossification formation. Taken together, this suggests that early rehabilitation might influence heterotopic ossification development.

The Ruptured Achilles Tendon Elongates for 6 Months After Surgical Repair Regardless of Early or Late Weightbearing in Combination With Ankle Mobilization: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Treatment strategies for Achilles tendon rupture vary considerably, and clinical outcome may depend on the magnitude of tendon elongation after surgical repair. The aim of this project was to examine whether tendon elongation, mechanical properties, and functional outcomes during rehabilitation of surgically repaired acute Achilles tendon ruptures were influenced by different rehabilitation regimens during the early postsurgical period.

Hypothesis: Restricted early weightbearing that permits only limited motion about the ankle in the early phase of tendon healing limits tendon elongation and improves functional outcome.

Lower tendon stiffness in very old compared with old individuals is unaffected by short-term resistance training of skeletal muscle.

Aging negatively affects collagen-rich tissue, like tendons, but in vivo tendon mechanical properties and the influence of physical activity after the 8th decade of life remain to be determined. This study aimed to compare in vivo patellar tendon mechanical properties in moderately old (old) and very old adults and the effect of short-term resistance training. Twenty old (9 women, 11 men, >65 yr) and 30 very old (11 women, 19 men, >83 yr) adults were randomly allocated to heavy resistance training (HRT) or no training (CON) and underwent testing of in vivo patellar tendon (PT) mechanical properties and PT dimensions before and after a 3-mo intervention.