The effect of stretching intensity on pain sensitivity: A randomized crossover study on healthy adults.

Background: Stretching exercises have effects on local and widespread pain sensitivity. A dose-response relationship may exist between the analgesic effect and the intensity of stretching, such that a higher intensity of stretching may generate a larger reduction in analgesic response, but this remains to be studied. This study aimed to examine the dose-response relationship between stretching intensity and the analgesic effect.

The effect of six-week regular stretching exercises on regional and distant pain sensitivity: an experimental longitudinal study on healthy adults.

Background: Stretching exercises are widely used for pain relief and show positive effects on musculoskeletal, nociplastic and neuropathic pain; the magnitude of altered pain sensitivity responses following regular stretching is currently unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of six weeks of regular stretching exercise on regional and widespread pain sensitivity and range of motion and the effect of stretching cessation on regional and widespread pain sensitivity and range of motion.

Methods: An experimental single-blind longitudinal repeated measures study.

The effectiveness of stretching exercises in patients with fibromyalgia: A systematic review.

Fibromyalgia is one of the most prevalent chronic pain disorders. Fibromyalgia is characterised by generalised pain. In addition, patients with fibromyalgia often have co-morbidity.

Good physical function but reduced quality of life in children 3 years after ACL reconstruction.

Purpose: To assess children's physical function and subjective knee status 1 and 3 years after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. It was hypothesised that there was no difference between the operated and normal legs in relation to physical strength and function, that there was <-2 mm side-to-side difference in knee laxity, and that the subjective knee function was better 3 years after ACL reconstruction compared to 1 year after.

Methods: Children (<16 years of age) who had an ACL reconstruction had follow-up with physical function tests (four hop tests and strength measurement in a power rig [PR]), anterior knee laxity (measured using a Rolimeter) and patient-reported outcome measures (Pedi-International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC] and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS]-Child) 1 and 3 years postoperatively.

Reliability and Validity of the End Range Hamstring Strength Test with Handheld Dynamometry.

Background And Purpose: Hamstring strength testing is crucial in assessing this important muscle group during rehabilitation and injury prevention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of measuring strength in a maximally lengthened position using a handheld dynamometer (HHD) compared to isokinetic testing.

Methods: Twenty healthy and active participants were recruited, and isometric strength testing was performed both on the Biodex machine and isometric end-range hamstring testing with the HHD on two occasions.

The relationship between ultrasonography with or without contrast and the clinical outcome in plantar fasciitis.

Background: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a common disorder without objective parameters for disease severity.

Purpose: To investigate whether structural changes in the plantar fascia and heel fat pad determined by ultrasound scanning with or without contrast are related to outcome measures in patients with symptomatic PF and to investigate whether there is an association between changes in US findings and improvement in pain and function.

Methods: All patients (n = 90) in a randomized controlled trial treated with training and/or glucocorticosteroid injection were assessed for morning pain, function pain, Foot Function Index (FFI), and ultrasound measured thickness of the fascia and heel fat pad at entry and after 6 months.

Effects of Heavy Slow Resistance Training Combined With Corticosteroid Injections or Tendon Needling in Patients With Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy: A 3-Arm Randomized Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Study.

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.

Persistent Deficits after an Achilles Tendon Rupture: A Narrative Review.

Persistent muscle weakness, tendon elongation, and incomplete return to preinjury level are frequent sequelae after acute Achilles tendon rupture, and evidence-based knowledge of how to best rehabilitate the injury is largely absent in the literature. The objective of this review is to illuminate and discuss to what extent an Achilles tendon rupture affects muscle, tendon, and function when assessed with the Achilles tendon total rupture score (ATRS), muscle strength, muscle cross-sectional area, tendon length, and the heel-rise test. The patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) data in the literature suggest that the recovery takes longer than 6 months (ATRS, 70 out of 100), that one-year postinjury, the ATRS only reaches 82, and that this does not appear to noticeably improve thereafter.

Altered Triceps Surae Muscle-Tendon Unit Properties after 6 Months of Static Stretching.

Introduction: This study examined the effects of 24 wk of daily static stretching of the plantarflexors (unilateral 4 × 60-s stretching, whereas the contralateral leg served as a control; n = 26) on joint range of motion (ROM), muscle-tendon unit morphological and mechanical properties, neural activation, and contractile function.

Methods: Torque-angle/velocity was obtained in passive and active conditions using isokinetic dynamometry, whereas muscle-tendon morphology and mechanical properties were examined using ultrasonography.

Results: After the intervention, ROM increased (stretching, +11° ± 7°; control, 4° ± 8°), and passive torque (stretching, -10 ± 11 N·m; control, -7 ± 10 N·m) and normalized EMG amplitude (stretching, -3% ± 6%; control, -3% ± 4%) at a standardized dorsiflexion angle decreased.

Acromio-Humeral Distance Is Associated with Shoulder External Strength in National Elite Badminton Players-A Preliminary Study.

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).

Magnetic Resonance T * Is Increased in Patients With Early-Stage Achilles and Patellar Tendinopathy.

Background: T * mapping has proven useful in tendon research and may have the ability to detect subtle changes at an early stage of tendinopathy.

Purpose: To investigate the difference in T * between patients with early tendinopathy and healthy controls, and to investigate the relationship between T * and clinical outcomes, tendon size, and mechanical properties.

Study Type: Prospective cross-sectional.

Characterising the proximal patellar tendon attachment and its relationship to skeletal maturity in adolescent ballet dancers.

Background: It is unknown how and when the proximal attachment of the patellar tendon matures; puberty may be key in ensuring normal tendon formation. The aim of this study was to investigate the features of the proximal patellar tendon attachment at different stages of skeletal maturity, to help gain an understanding of how and when the tendon attachment matures.

Methods: Sixty adolescent elite ballet students (ages 11-18) and eight mature adults participated.

The Reliability of the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) in Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Aims: To assess the live-versus-video, intrarater interday and interrater interday reliability of the test Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo), which seeks to estimate the degree of sitting trunk control in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: Thirty-one children with CP between 9 months and 16 years of age (22 males, mean age 8y 10mo [SD 3y 5mo], Gross Motor Function Classification System level I [n = 13], II [n = 4], III [n = 4], IV [n = 3], and V [n = 7]) were included. Children were tested twice by two raters and tests were video recorded.

An advanced glycation endproduct (AGE)-rich diet promotes accumulation of AGEs in Achilles tendon.

Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs) accumulate in long-lived tissue proteins like collagen in bone and tendon causing modification of the biomechanical properties. This has been hypothesized to raise the risk of orthopedic injury such as bone fractures and tendon ruptures. We evaluated the relationship between AGE content in the diet and accumulation of AGEs in weight-bearing animal Achilles tendon.

Muscle power is an important measure to detect deficits in muscle function in hip osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: To investigate between-leg differences in hip and thigh muscle strength and leg extensor power in patients with unilateral hip osteoarthritis. Further, to compare between-leg differences in knee extensor strength and leg extensor power between patients and healthy peers.

Methods: Seventy-two patients (60-87 years) with radiographic and symptomatic hip osteoarthritis not awaiting hip replacement and 35 healthy peers (63-82 years) were included.

Functional adaptation of tendon and skeletal muscle to resistance training in three patients with genetically verified classic Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

Background: tendon and skeletal muscle function adapts to physical training of resistive nature, but it is unknown to what extent persons with genetically altered connective tissue - who have a higher than normal tendon extensibility - will obtain any effect upon their tendon and muscle when undergoing muscle strength training. We investigated patients with classical Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) (collagen type V defect) who display articular hypermobility, skin extensibility and tissue fragility.

Methods: subjects underwent strength training 3 times a week for 4 months and were tested before and after intervention in regards to muscle strength, tendon mechanical properties, and muscle function.

Low tendon stiffness and abnormal ultrastructure distinguish classic Ehlers-Danlos syndrome from benign joint hypermobility syndrome in patients.

There is a clinical overlap between classic Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (cEDS) and benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS), with hypermobility as the main symptom. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of type V collagen mutations and tendon pathology in these 2 syndromes. In patients (cEDS, n=7; BJHS, n=8) and controls (Ctrl, n=8), we measured patellar tendon ultrastructure (transmission electron microscopy), dimensions (magnetic resonance imaging), and biomechanical properties (force and ultrasonographic measurements during a ramped isometric knee extension).

Lack of tissue renewal in human adult Achilles tendon is revealed by nuclear bomb (14)C.

Tendons are often injured and heal poorly. Whether this is caused by a slow tissue turnover is unknown, since existing data provide diverging estimates of tendon protein half-life that range from 2 mo to 200 yr. With the purpose of determining life-long turnover of human tendon tissue, we used the (14)C bomb-pulse method.

Tensile force transmission in human patellar tendon fascicles is not mediated by glycosaminoglycans.

Correct mechanical function of tendons is essential to human physiology and therefore the mechanical properties of tendon have been a subject of research for many decades now. However, one of the most fundamental questions remains unanswered: How is load transmitted through the tendon? It has been suggested that the proteoglycan-associated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) found on the surface of the collagen fibrils may be an important transmitter of load, but existing results are ambiguous and have not investigated human tendons. We have used a small-scale mechanical testing system to measure the mechanical properties of fascicles from human patellar tendon at two different deformation rates before and after removal of GAGs by treatment with chondroitinase ABC.