Jena – Muscles and tendons are fundamentally involved when we want to do sports. But they have different properties and functions. This is why these two structures react and heal very differently when overstressed. PD Dr. medical Thilo Hotfiel (Klinikum Osnabrück) at the 14th Zeulenroda Congress for Orthopedics and Sports Orthopedics.
Muscle tissue makes up around 30 to 40 percent of the human body. The muscles have a variety of functions – not only in sports, but also for maintaining basic organ functions, for sitting, standing and for movement. In addition, more than 300 different myokines are formed in the muscles, so-called peptide hormones, which play an important role in the brain, intestines and cardiovascular system, for example.
Muscles are not easily overloaded and are often under-challenged. If an overload does occur, it will appear within a few days in the form of “muscle soreness”. The muscle has great potential for adaptation, regeneration and healing. Muscle’s own satellite cells ensure that the muscle heals quickly and usually completely, or adapts to recurring loads. This does not apply to higher-grade muscle injuries such as muscle fiber tears or muscle tears, which represent an acute injury to the muscle.
Tendons, on the other hand, are more sensitive. They don’t adapt easily. Overload comes insidiously, slowly, often unnoticed at first – but then it takes a long time to heal. If even load-bearing tendons are affected, regeneration often takes weeks, sometimes months. For example in the patellar tendon (knee) or the Achilles tendon (ankle/heel).
“That’s why it’s important in sports to increase the amount of training slowly and gradually, a rule of thumb is about 10 percent per month,” says sports orthopaedist PD Dr. Thilo Hotfield.
Muscle and tendon form an inseparable unit and need each other to work together. Acute muscle overload occurs quickly when our body is subjected to unfamiliar or unfamiliar stress, for example when hiking downhill or when doing sports that involve physical shock (“stop-and-go”, change of direction). Tendon overloads are more likely to occur with repetitive (recurring) loads such as jogging, jumping and playing sports, since the body weight has to be absorbed and accelerated again.
Cycling and swimming are considered to be particularly beneficial in popular and competitive sports: here the risk of muscle and/or tendon overload is rather low.
The following applies to the therapy of muscle and tendon overload:
If the muscle is overloaded, “relaxed” training sessions are recommended. Failure to do so can result in serious acute muscle injuries.
In the case of tendon injuries, it is important to adjust the training load and carry out targeted training therapy (e.g. eccentric training) under supervision. If these measures are not successful, shock wave applications, medical insoles or selected infiltration therapies can also be used.