Tendon and other force bearing tissues play an important role in human functions in everyday life and sports. While much is known about muscle adaptation in response to acute and habitual loading, tendon adaptations are still poorly understood. In this symposium you will be updated with what is actually known on tendon adaptation to loading, training, aging and disuse. Therefore, the target audience includes sports coaches, physiotherapists, clinicians, gerontologists and researchers of basic sciences.

Picture courtesy of Jens Bojsen-Møller

After an introductory note by session chair, professor Taija Finni, professor Jens Bojsen-Møller from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences discusses how acute tendon responses with time translates into changes in tendon dimension and mechanical properties. He elaborates the delicate mechanisms behind the adaptations from increased blood flow and glucose uptake to collagen synthesis.

Taija Finni, Jens Bojsen-Møller,
Olivier Seynnes and Lauri Stenroth.

The second speaker professor Olivier Seynnes from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences clarifies the relationship between tendon mechanical properties and daily stress levels. Tendon long-term adaptations include changes in size, morphology and mechanical properties where studies based on animal specimen and on in vivo testing of human tendons are not always in agreement.

Long term adaptations as a result of aging and disuse will be the topic of Lauri Stenroth from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. His presentation will concisely review the current literature to highlight similarities and differences between the effects of aging and disuse. Finally, functional consequences of the tendon adaptations with aging and disuse will be discussed. 

The invited session [IS-BN06] Tendon Adaption will start 15:00 Wednesday 24th June in Lecture room “Live 1”.

Post by Taija Finni
Dept. of Biology of Physical Activity, University of Jyväskylä