Tendon Adaptation and Injury Risk in Athletes

Another very practical and pragmatic podcast.  Dr Falk Mersmann is a leader in how tendons adapt to load and I would say an accidental leader in the minumum effective dose to get tendons to adapt.

Some topics we covered:

• Why having a good balance between tendon stiffness and muscle strength is important for tendinopathy prevention and treatment
• How personalized tendon loading can address this potential risk factor
• Specifics of tendon loading to achieve tendon positive tendon adaptations (e.g increasing stiffness).
• Why plyometrics don’t seem to influence tendon strength
• Why only doing the goal activity (e.g running) may not be enough for a healthy tendon
• Why stretching can’t decrease tendon stiffness
• Limitations of shear wave elastography versus measuring mechanical stiffness

Some relevant papers (all open access) 1.  Addressing tendon - muscle imbalances 

2. Comparing different loading volumes and frequencies to achieve tendon adaptations

3. A functional high load program to prevent/treat tendon related pain in athletes