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- Alfredson, Håkan, et al.
(författare)
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Achilles tendinosis and calf muscle strength : the effect of short-term immobilization after surgical treatment
- 1998
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Ingår i: American Journal of Sports Medicine. - 0363-5465 .- 1552-3365. ; 26:2, s. 166-71
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We prospectively studied calf muscle strength in 7 men and 4 women (mean age, 40.9 +/- 10.1 years) who had surgical treatment for chronic Achilles tendinosis. Surgery was followed by immobilization in a weightbearing below-the-knee plaster cast for 2 weeks followed by a stepwise increasing strength training program. Strength measurements (peak torque and total work) were done preoperatively (Week 0) and at 16, 26, and 52 weeks postoperatively. We measured isokinetic concentric plantar flexion strength at 90 and 225 deg/sec and eccentric flexion strength at 90 deg/sec on both the injured and noninjured sides. Preoperatively, concentric and eccentric strength were significantly lower on the injured side at 90 and 225 deg/sec. Postoperatively, concentric peak torque on the injured side decreased significantly between Weeks 0 and 16 and increased significantly between Weeks 26 and 52 at 90 deg/sec but was significantly lower than that on the noninjured side at all periods and at both velocities. The eccentric strength was significantly lower on the injured side at Week 26 but increased significantly until at Week 52 no significant differences between the sides could be demonstrated. It seems, therefore, that the recovery in concentric and eccentric calf muscle strength after surgery for Achilles tendinosis is slow. We saw no obvious advantages in recovery of muscle strength with a short immobilization time (2 weeks) versus a longer (6 weeks) period used in a previous study.
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| 2. |
- Alfredson, Håkan, et al.
(författare)
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Bone mass in the calcaneus after heavy loaded eccentric calf-muscle training in recreational athletes with chronic achilles tendinosis
- 1999
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Ingår i: Calcified Tissue International. - : Springer. - 0171-967X .- 1432-0827. ; 64:5, s. 450-455
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In an ongoing prospective study of 14 recreational athletes (12 males and 2 females, mean age 44.2 +/- 7.1 years) with unilateral chronic Achilles tendinosis, we investigated the effect of treatment with heavy-loaded eccentric calf-muscle training. Pain during activity (recorded on a VAS scale) and isokinetic concentric and eccentric calf-muscle strength (peak torque at 90 degrees /second and 225 degrees /second) on the injured and noninjured side were evaluated. In this group of patients, we examined areal bone mineral density (BMD) of the calcaneus after 9 months (range 6-14 months) of training. BMD of the injured side (subjected to heavy-loaded eccentric training) was compared with BMD of the noninjured side. Before onset of heavy-loaded eccentric training, all patients had Achilles tendon pain which prohibited running activity, and significantly lower concentric and eccentric plantar flexion peak torque on the injured compared with the noninjured side. The training program consisted of 12 weeks of daily, heavy-loaded, eccentric calf-muscle training; thereafter the training was continued for 2-3 days/week. The clinical results were excellent-all 14 patients were back at their preinjury level with full running activity at the 3 month follow-up. The concentric and eccentric plantar flexion peak torque had increased significantly and did not significantly differ from the noninjured side at the 3 and 9 month follow-up. There were no significant side-to-side differences in BMD of the calcaneus. There was no significant relationship between BMD of the calcaneus and calf-muscle strength. As a comparison group, we used 10 recreational athletes (5 males and 5 females) mean age 40.9 years (range 26-55 years), who were selected for surgical treatment of chronic Achilles tendinosis localized at the 2-6 cm level. Their duration of symptoms and severity of disease were the same as in the experimental group. There were no significant side-to-side differences in BMD of the calcaneus preoperatively, but 12 months postoperatively BMD of the calcaneus was 16.4% lower at the injured side compared with the noninjured side. Heavy-loaded eccentric calf-muscle training resulted in a fast recovery in all patients, equaled the side-to-side differences in muscle strength, and was not associated with side-to-side differences in BMD of the calcaneus. In this group of middle-aged recreational athletes, BMD of the calcaneus was not related to calf-muscle strength.
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| 3. |
- Alfredson, Håkan, et al.
(författare)
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Chronic Achilles tendinitis and calf muscle strength
- 1996
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Ingår i: American Journal of Sports Medicine. - : Sage. - 0363-5465 .- 1552-3365. ; 24:6, s. 829-833
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We evaluated 10 men and 3 women (mean age, 44 +/- 8.5 years) with chronic Achilles tendinitis who underwent surgical treatment. Surgery was followed by immobilization in a weightbearing below-the-knee plaster cast for 6 weeks and a stepwise increasing strength training program. We prospectively studied calf muscle strength on the injured and noninjured sides preoperatively and at 16, 26, and 52 weeks postoperatively. Preoperatively, concentric peak torque in dorsiflexion at 90 deg/sec and plantar flexion at 225 deg/sec was significantly lower on the injured side. Postoperatively, concentric plantar flexion peak torque on the injured side increased significantly between Weeks 16 and 26 at 90 deg/sec but was significantly lower than the noninjured side from Weeks 16 to 52 at 90 and 225 deg/sec. Dorsiflexion peak torque at 90 and 225 deg/sec increased between Weeks 0 and 26 and was significantly higher on the injured side at Week 26. Eccentric plantar flexion peak torque was significantly lower on the injured side at Week 26 but not at 1 year. This prospective study demonstrates that 6 months of postoperative rehabilitation for chronic Achilles tendinitis is not enough to recover concentric and eccentric plantar flexion muscle strength compared with the noninjured side.
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| 4. |
- Alfredson, Håkan, et al.
(författare)
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Concentric and eccentric shoulder and elbow muscle strength in female volleyball players and non-active females
- 1998
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. - : Wiley. - 0905-7188 .- 1600-0838. ; 8:5 Pt 1, s. 265-270
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Maximal isokinetic concentric (60 degrees/s and 180 degrees/s) and eccentric (60 degrees/s) muscle strength of the external and internal rotator muscles of the shoulder and the flexor and extensor muscles of the elbow was measured in a position resembling spiking and serving in volleyball, on 11 non-injured female volleyball players (first division) and 11 non-active females. In the dominant arm, the volleyball players had significantly higher concentric peak torque of the internal and external rotators and elbow extensors at both velocities, and significantly higher eccentric peak torque of the shoulder internal and external rotators and elbow flexors and extensors, than the controls. In the volleyball group, the concentric internal rotation peak torque at 60 degrees/s was significantly higher in the dominant than in the non-dominant arm. The external/internal strength ratio was significantly lower at 60 degrees/s, but not at 180 degrees/s, in the dominant arm. CONCLUSION: The female volleyball players had a higher concentric and eccentric strength in the rotator muscles of the shoulder and in the extensor muscles of the elbow compared to untrained controls in this special test position. There were signs of rotator muscle imbalance at the low test speed, but no signs of weakness of the external rotators, in the dominant arm of the volleyball players.
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| 5. |
- Alfredson, Håkan, et al.
(författare)
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Heavy-load eccentric calf muscle training for the treatment of chronic Achilles tendinosis
- 1998
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Ingår i: American Journal of Sports Medicine. - : Sage. - 0363-5465 .- 1552-3365. ; 26:3, s. 360-366
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We prospectively studied the effect of heavy-load eccentric calf muscle training in 15 recreational athletes (12 men and 3 women; mean age, 44.3 +/- 7.0 years) who had the diagnosis of chronic Achilles tendinosis (degenerative changes) with a long duration of symptoms despite conventional nonsurgical treatment. Calf muscle strength and the amount of pain during activity (recorded on a visual analog scale) were measured before onset of training and after 12 weeks of eccentric training. At week 0, all patients had Achilles tendon pain not allowing running activity, and there was significantly lower eccentric and concentric calf muscle strength on the injured compared with the noninjured side. After the 12-week training period, all 15 patients were back at their preinjury levels with full running activity. There was a significant decrease in pain during activity, and the calf muscle strength on the injured side had increased significantly and did not differ significantly from that of the noninjured side. A comparison group of 15 recreational athletes with the same diagnosis and a long duration of symptoms had been treated conventionally, i.e., rest, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, changes of shoes or orthoses, physical therapy, and in all cases also with ordinary training programs. In no case was the conventional treatment successful, and all patients were ultimately treated surgically. Our treatment model with heavy-load eccentric calf muscle training has a very good short-term effect on athletes in their early forties.
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| 6. |
- Alfredson, Håkan, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term loading and regional bone mass of the arm in female volleyball players
- 1998
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Ingår i: Calcified Tissue International. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0171-967X .- 1432-0827. ; 62:4, s. 303-308
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the present study, we compared the bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in the arms of 11 female volleyball players (mean age 22.0 +/- 2.6 years) training for about 8 hours/week, and 11 nonactive females aged 24.6 +/- 3.1 years (mean +/- SD) not participating in regular or organized sport activity. Using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), BMC was measured in the proximal and distal humerus, and BMD in the distal radius. Isokinetic concentric peak torque (highest value attained during 5 or 10 repetitions) of the rotator muscles of the shoulder and flexor and extensor muscles of the elbow were measured using an isokinetic dynamometer. The volleyball players had significantly higher BMC (P < 0.05) at the proximal humerus of the dominant arm compared with the nonactive group, but there were no differences between the groups in BMC of the distal humerus and BMD of the distal radius. In the volleyball players, BMC was significantly higher at the proximal humerus, at the distal humerus, and at the distal radius in the dominant compared with the nondominant arm. In the nonactive group, there were no significant differences in BMC and BMD between the dominant and nondominant arm at any site measured. Except for shoulder internal rotation strength and elbow flexion strength at 90 degrees/second that was higher in the dominant arm in the volleyball players, there were no significant differences in muscle strength of the rotator muscles of the shoulder and flexor and extensor muscles of the elbow between the dominant and nondominant arm in the volleyball players and nonactive controls. In the volleyball players, but not in the nonactive controls, there were several significant relationships between shoulder and elbow strength and BMC at the distal humerus of the dominant and especially the nondominant arm. These results show that young female volleyball players have a higher bone mass in the proximal humerus, distal humerus, and distal radius in the dominant compared with the nondominant arm, and a higher bone mass in the proximal humerus compared with nonactive controls. Muscle strength of the rotator muscles of the shoulder is not related to the higher bone mass in the proximal humerus of the dominant arm. Theoretically, the observed differences in bone mass can be related to the type of loading the skeleton undergoes when playing volleyball.
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