What do tendons do?
'We’ve always known exercise makes muscles stronger, but our understanding of how exercise affects our tendons is far more recent and still incomplete,' says physio Mark Buckingham. Tendons connect muscle to bone, transmitting the force generated by muscles to move your joints – and hence your body. But tendons are far more than just cables. They are active, responsive and vital partners with your muscles, so much so that the two tissues are regularly referred to as a muscle-tendon unit. Muscles don’t end where tendons begin. There is no line drawn. Instead, there is a transition area, the muscle-tendon zone, where muscle gradually gives way to tendon. In this zone, muscle fibres and tendons merge, operating as a unit. It is only at the outskirts of this zone that tendons finally emerge as the glistening, white, fibrous cords that eventually connect to bone.
Why do you get tendon injuries?
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below running injuries. The point at which individual muscle fibres meet a tendon is your muscle’s weak link. It’s here that most muscle strains occur. Powerful eccentric contractions cause damage either at this junction or directly above it. If you’re lucky, damage will be limited to a few fibres and shortlived soreness. If you’re unlucky, a complete muscle tear might require surgery. The good news is that the muscle-tendon zone gets a rich blood supply, resulting in a healing rate that almost parallels that of muscle.
Why should runners focus on dorsiflexion?
'Why should runners focus on dorsiflexion flexibility and is seen as bad,' says Buckingham. 'In tendons, however, stiffness helps their ability to transmit forces rapidly and without loss of energy. If a tendon is too elastic, it won't transmit the force well and the movement will then be sluggish. There is a balance, though, because a tendon that’s too stiff will be more susceptible to strain.'
Is running good for weight loss wobble board and Published: 05 November 2015 strengthen the entire kinetic chain (muscles, connective tissue and nerves from hip to toe); this helps to prevent tendon inflammation and damage. Active isolated stretching is useful for working the muscle-tendon zone because it sidesteps the stretch reflex that can lead to strains in this area.
Also, check out these tendon-specific exercises, designed by Mark Buckingham.
