Metabolic Influences on Risk for Tendon Disorders

S. Peter Magnusson, Katja M. Heinemeier, Michael Kjaer, Magnusson, S. Peter, Heinemeier, Katja M., Kjaer, Michael

Paul W. Ackermann, David A. Hart

The musculoskeletal system and its collagen rich tissue is important for ensuring architecture of skeletal muscle, energy storage in tendon and ligaments, joint surface protection, and for ensuring the transfer of muscular forces into resulting limb movement. Structure of tendon is stable and the metabolic activity is low, but mechanical loading and subsequent mechanotransduction and molecular anabolic signaling can result in some adaptation of the tendon especially during youth and adolescence. Within short time, tendon will get stiffer with training and lack of mechanical tissue loading through inactivity or immobilization of the human body will conversely result in a dramatic loss in tendon stiffness and collagen synthesis. This illustrates the importance of regular mechanical load in order to preserve the stabilizing role of the connective tissue for the overall function of the musculoskeletal system in both daily activity and exercise. Adaptive responses may vary along the tendon, and differ between mid-substance and insertional areas of the tendon.