Age-related differences in Achilles tendon properties and triceps surae muscle architecture in vivo

Stenroth, Lauri; Peltonen, Jussi; Cronin, Neil J.; Sipilä, Sarianna; Finni, Taija

doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00782.2012

Cited by 222 publications

(226 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…The width of the Achilles tendon on the left side, and the length on both the right and left sides were significantly smaller in the age group 18-29 when compared to other age groups (30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49), and 50-50+). Stenroth et al [39] showed that tendon cross-sectional area was 16% larger in the older groups.…”

Section: Width Thickness Area Lengthmentioning

confidence: 94%

Effects of physical characteristics, exercise and smoking on morphometry of human Achilles tendon: an ultrasound study

Canbolat¹,

Özbağ²,

Özdemir³

et al. 2015

Anatomy

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Objectives: The aim of this study was to reveal the normal morphometric values of Achilles tendon using ultrasound (US) imaging in subjects of different gender, age groups, smoking status, and physical exercise habits. Methods:A total of 342 Achilles tendons were examined in the 171 volunteers (69 females, 102 males) with different age, gender, weight, height, smoking and physical exercise habits. Achilles tendon width, length, thickness, cross-sectional area and length were measured using a commercial ultrasound machine with a 9-15 mHz linear-array transducer. Results:The average width, thickness, cross-sectional area and length of the Achilles tendon in male subjects were significantly higher than females. Tendon width, thickness, cross-sectional area and length showed no significant difference between the right and left side. With the exception of the left Achilles tendon thickness, measurements taken for non-smoking subjects were larger than smokers. Achilles tendon measurements of subjects engaged in sportive activities were significantly larger than those with sedentary lifestyle Weight and body mass index were the only anthropometric measurements in correlation with Achilles tendon size. Conclusion:Achilles tendon size varies with age, gender, physical activity and smoking habits. The measurements presented in this study give normal variations of the tendon's morphologic characteristics, which will be of use in clinical diagnosis.

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Section: Width Thickness Area Lengthmentioning

confidence: 94%

Effects of physical characteristics, exercise and smoking on morphometry of human Achilles tendon: an ultrasound study

Canbolat¹,

Özbağ²,

Özdemir³

et al. 2015

Anatomy

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“…Many studies have assumed that several additional characteristics and the biomechanical properties of the musculoarticular complex could influence muscle fascicle behavior (6,20,41,54). Therefore, they can also affect the efficiency of muscle fiber dynamics by allowing a reduction of fascicleshortening velocity to produce very high angular velocity, especially during human locomotion (running, jumping) (39).…”

Section: Relationship Between Angular Velocity Reached In Nlc and Biomentioning

confidence: 99%

In vivo maximal fascicle-shortening velocity during plantar flexion in humans

Hauraix

Nordez

Guilhem

et al. 2015

Journal of Applied Physiology

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Interindividual variability in performance of fast movements is commonly explained by a difference in maximal muscle-shortening velocity due to differences in the proportion of fast-twitch fibers. To provide a better understanding of the capacity to generate fast motion, this study aimed to 1) measure for the first time in vivo the maximal fascicle-shortening velocity of human muscle; 2) evaluate the relationship between angular velocity and fascicle-shortening velocity from low to maximal angular velocities; and 3) investigate the influence of musculo-articular features (moment arm, tendinous tissues stiffness, and muscle architecture) on maximal angular velocity. Ultrafast ultrasound images of the gastrocnemius medialis were obtained from 31 participants during maximal isokinetic and light-loaded plantar flexions. A strong linear relationship between fascicle-shortening velocity and angular velocity was reported for all subjects (mean R 2 ϭ 0.97). The maximal shortening velocity (V Fmax) obtained during the no-load condition (NLc) ranged between 18.8 and 43.3 cm/s. V Fmax values were very close to those of the maximal shortening velocity (V max), which was extrapolated from the F-V curve (the Hill model). Angular velocity reached during the NLc was significantly correlated with this V Fmax (r ϭ 0.57; P Ͻ 0.001). This finding was in agreement with assumptions about the role of muscle fiber type, whereas interindividual comparisons clearly support the fact that other parameters may also contribute to performance during fast movements. Nevertheless, none of the biomechanical features considered in the present study were found to be directly related to the highest angular velocity, highlighting the complexity of the upstream mechanics that lead to maximalvelocity muscle contraction. maximal unloaded velocity; muscle-tendon unit; muscle mechanics; muscle architecture; stiffness; ultrasound THE CAPACITY OF HUMAN SKELETAL muscle to achieve maximal power production is functionally very important during ballistic movements such as sprinting or jumping. The maximal angular velocity an individual can produce represents one of the key determinants of this ability and hence of human performance in various explosive tasks such as a sprint while running or cycling (31, 57). In the literature, this ability to reach extreme angular velocities in unloaded conditions is related mainly to a higher proportion of fast-twitch fibers (5, 11, 56) or a longer fascicle length, or both, which implies a higher number of sarcomeres in series (9, 53). These considerations suggest that subjects who are able to produce high velocity at the joint level should also be able to develop high muscle fascicle-shortening velocity. Consequently, the muscleshortening velocity should be a key determinant of the ability to perform very-high-velocity movements.To our knowledge, no previous study has measured actual maximal fascicle-shortening velocity in vivo in humans. Although measurement of fascicle-shortening velocity is classically performed using ul...

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“…Stiffness of both animal and human tendons have been reported to increase (Shadwick 1990;Kubo et al 2007a), decrease (Stenroth et al 2012), or remain unchanged (Couppe et al 2009) with aging. Vidiik et al (Viidik et al 1996) showed that life-long endurance training may have counteracting systemic effects on the aging process as reflected by less stiff tail tendon tissue.…”

Section: Tendon Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In line with this, we recently demonstrated that both enzymatic hydroxylysyl pyridinoline (HP) and lysyl pyridinoline (LP) cross-links and pentosidine, which is a marker of AGE, were more abundant in the patellar tendon of old men compared with that of young men (Couppe et al 2009). It is believed that greater AGE cross-link density increases tendon stiffness (Reddy et al 2002;Galeski et al 1977;Andreassen et al 1988;Bai et al 1992), however, mechanical properties of both animal and human tendon has been reported both to increase (Nielsen et al 1998;Shadwick 1990;Kubo et al 2007a;Wood et al 2011), decrease (Stenroth et al 2012; Karamanidis and Arampatzis 2006;Dressler et al 2002;Onambele et al 2006;Mian et al 2007) or remain unaltered with aging (Couppe et al 2009;Haut et al 1992;Hubbard and SoutasLittle 1984;Johnson et al 1994;Carroll et al 2008). Thus, to what extent aging influence mechanical properties of tendon tissue remains largely unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life-long endurance running is associated with reduced glycation and mechanical stress in connective tissue

Couppé

Svensson

Grosset

et al. 2014

AGE

107

101

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Life-long regular endurance exercise is known to counteract the deterioration of cardiovascular and metabolic function and overall mortality. Yet it remains unknown if life-long regular endurance exercise can influence the connective tissue accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) that is associated with aging and lifestyle-related diseases. We therefore examined two groups of healthy elderly men: 15 master athletes (64±4 years) who had been engaged in life-long endurance running and 12 old untrained (66±4 years) together with two groups of healthy young men; ten young athletes matched for running distance (26±4 years), and 12 young untrained (24±3 years). AGE cross-links (pentosidine) of the patellar tendon AGE (2014) were measured biochemically, and in the skin, it was assessed by a fluorometric method. In addition, we determined mechanical properties and microstructure of the patellar tendon. Life-long regular endurance runners (master athletes) had a 21 % lower AGE cross-link density compared to old untrained. Furthermore, both master athletes and young athletes displayed a thicker patellar tendon. These cross-sectional data suggest that life-long regular endurance running can partly counteract the aging process in connective tissue by reducing age-related accumulation of AGEs. This may not only benefit skin and tendon but also other long-lived protein tissues in the body. Furthermore, it appears that endurance running yields tendon tissue hypertrophy that may serve to lower the stress on the tendon and thereby reduce the risk of injury.

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Age-related differences in Achilles tendon properties and triceps surae muscle architecture in vivo

Cited by 222 publications

References 52 publications

Effects of physical characteristics, exercise and smoking on morphometry of human Achilles tendon: an ultrasound study

Effects of physical characteristics, exercise and smoking on morphometry of human Achilles tendon: an ultrasound study

In vivo maximal fascicle-shortening velocity during plantar flexion in humans

Life-long endurance running is associated with reduced glycation and mechanical stress in connective tissue

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