Publications by authors named "Couppe C"

A high proportion of individuals with Achilles tendinopathy continue to demonstrate long-term symptoms and functional impairments after exercise treatment. Thus, there is a need to delineate patient presentations that may require alternative treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate if the presence of metabolic risk factors relates to tendon symptoms, psychological factors, triceps surae structure, and lower limb function in individuals with Achilles tendinopathy.

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To investigate the effect of moderate or heavy slow resistance training on structural and mechanical properties of patellar and Achilles tendons in older men, in vivo. Healthy older men (n = 27) undertook a 12-week resistance training program (3 times/week) of triceps surae and quadriceps muscle-tendon complexes. Participants were randomly assigned to either a moderate load of 55% 1RM (O55, n = 13, age: 70.

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Panoramic ultrasound (US) is an extended field-of-view (EFOV) imaging technique that enables visualization of large-scale skeletal muscles. This technique has previously been found to produce valid and reliable quantifications of muscle morphology in primarily young male subjects. The purpose was to investigate the intra-rater between-session test-retest reliability of panoramic US imaging for determining vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) cross-sectional area (mCSA) in healthy middle-aged to elderly adults.

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Article Synopsis
  • A recent study examined the effects of a 12-week pain-guided activity modification program on elite athletes with early Achilles or patellar tendinopathy, showing clinical improvements despite unchanged tendon structure.
  • The research involved 65 athletes divided into three groups based on symptom duration (0-3 months) and assessed various clinical and imaging outcomes at the beginning and end of the study.
  • Key findings revealed that while athletes reported reductions in pain and improvement in function, the structural aspects of their tendons remained largely the same throughout the 12-week period, indicating that clinical recovery does not necessarily correlate with physical changes in tendon morphology.
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There is a growing focus on person-centered care, emphasizing the importance of respecting inter-individual differences and implementing individualized treatment initiatives. Prior research has established an association between personality traits, body mass index, and health-related behaviors. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of personality trait assessments in identifying individuals at risk of glycemic dysregulation and increasing BMI.

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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.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aging and resistance training with a moderate load on the size and mechanical properties of the patellar (PT) and Achilles tendon (AT) and their associated aponeuroses; medial gastrocnemius (MG) and vastus lateralis (VL). Young (Y55; 24.8 ± 3.

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Purpose: To investigate power Doppler (PD) activity and tendon structure (between the injured and contralateral limb) in patients with unilateral patellar tendinopathy (PT) using ultrasonography (US). Secondly, the aim was to determine the intra-rater reliability of the PD activity and tendon structure.

Methods: This study analyzed US baseline data from 57 male participants with symptomatic unilateral PT who had been enrolled in one of two randomized clinical trials.

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Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease with high socioeconomical costs. In Denmark, standard rehabilitation (SR) consists of a combination of patient education and supervised physical exercise involving a standardized neuromuscular training program. As an evidence-based alternative, high-load (>70% 1RM) resistance training (HIRT) has shown positive rehabilitation effects in knee-OA but may not be tolerated in all patients (~25%) due to knee joint pain.

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Introduction: Heavy-load free-flow resistance exercise (HL-FFRE) is a widely used training modality. Recently, low-load blood-flow restricted resistance exercise (LL-BFRRE) has gained attention in both athletic and clinical settings as an alternative when conventional HL-FFRE is contraindicated or not tolerated. LL-BFRRE has been shown to result in physiological adaptations in muscle and connective tissue that are comparable to those induced by HL-FFRE.

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Objectives: We investigated the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in lower extremity tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis on patient-reported pain and disability.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Sources: Eligible articles in any language were identified through PubMed, Embase and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) on the 20 August 2020, references, citations and experts.

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Background: Achilles tendinopathy is a complex injury and the clinical presentation spans multiple different domains: physical and psychological symptoms, lower extremity function and tendon structure. A conceptual model of Achilles tendon health comprising these domains has been proposed in the literature. The aim of the study was to fit a model of Achilles tendinopathy using factor analysis and compare that to the conceptual model.

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Background: Lateral elbow tendinopathy is a disabling tendon overuse injury. It remains unknown if a corticosteroid injection (CSI) or tendon needling (TN) combined with heavy slow resistance (HSR) training is superior to HSR alone in treating lateral elbow tendinopathy.

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose was to investigate the effects of HSR combined with either (1) a CSI, (2) TN, or (3) placebo needling (PN) as treatment for lateral elbow tendinopathy.

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Background: Both physical activity and low-level laser therapy (LLLT) can reduce knee osteoarthritis (KOA) inflammation. We conducted a randomized clinical trial to investigate the short- and long-term effectiveness of LLLT combined with strength training in persons with KOA.

Methods: Fifty participants were randomly divided in two groups, one with LLLT plus strength training ( = 26) and one with placebo LLLT plus strength training ( = 24).

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The clinical relevance of altered tendon structure in patellar tendinopathy is contested since structural change persists after symptom resolution. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between tendon structure and clinical impairments in patellar tendinopathy. In this retrospective, secondary analysis of individuals with patellar tendinopathy (n = 41), tendon structure (thickness, cross-sectional area [CSA], shear modulus, and viscosity), symptom severity, lower extremity function (counter-movement jump [CMJ] height), and quadriceps muscle performance (knee extension force and central activation ratio [CAR]) were recorded for the symptomatic limb.

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Effects of lifelong physical activity on tendon function have been investigated in cross-sectional studies, but these are at risk of "survivorship" bias. Here, we investigate whether lifelong side-specific loading is associated with greater cross-sectional area (CSA), mechanical properties, cell density (DNA content), and collagen cross-link composition of the male human patellar tendon (PT), in vivo. Nine seniors and six young male lifelong elite badminton players and fencers were included.

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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.

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Article Synopsis
  • Tendon injuries can happen to anyone, whether they're active or not, and this study looked at how certain health problems might increase the risk of these injuries.
  • The researchers followed 5,856 people for 3 years, finding that around 5.7 out of every 1,000 people developed tendon injuries that needed hospital care.
  • They discovered that people with higher blood sugar and cholesterol had a much greater chance of getting tendon injuries, especially in their lower or upper limbs, showing that these health issues make tendons weaker and more likely to get hurt.
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Background: Increased age has been shown to be associated with weaker external rotators and stronger internal rotators of the shoulder in pitchers and tennis players. Whether this age-associated change is present in elite badminton players is unknown.

Purpose: To compare the internal and external rotation strength of the shoulder in adolescent and adult elite badminton players.

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Purpose: To examine acromio-humeral distance (AHD) and shoulder isometric strength for external rotation (ER) and internal rotation (IR) in national elite badminton players.

Methods: Seven elite badminton players with asymptomatic shoulders aged 24 ± 4 (mean ± SD) from the Danish national badminton team were investigated. Shoulder AHD, isometric strength in ER and IR were bilaterally assessed with ultrasonography and a hand-held dynamometer (HHD).

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Physical activity and low-level laser therapy (LLLT) can reduce knee osteoarthritis (KOA) inflammation. We are conducting a randomized placebo-controlled trial to investigate the long-term effectiveness of LLLT combined with strength training (ST) in persons with KOA, since it, to our knowledge, has not been investigated before. Fifty participants were enrolled.

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A recent COSMIN review found that the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles tendinopathy questionnaire (VISA-A) has flawed construct validity. The objective of the current study was to assess specifically the process of how VISA-A was constructed and validated, and whether the Danish version of VISA-A is a valid patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for measuring the perceived impact of Achilles tendinopathy. The original item generation strategy for content validity and the process for confirming the scaling properties (construct validity) were examined.

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Background: Activity modification is a key component of patellar tendinopathy treatment but there is a lack of evidence guiding activity modification prescription. Use of activity modification in treatment studies has varied widely and the impact of those recommendations has not been directly investigated or compared. The purpose of this study was to assess (1) the feasibility of using pain-guided activity modification during treatment for patellar tendinopathy and (2) if our outcome measures are responsive to changes in tendon health over the course of treatment.

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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.

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