Trial reportJournal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)2008
Effect of chronic unloading and rehabilitation on human Achilles tendon properties: a velocity-encoded phase-contrast MRI study.
Trial report in Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- Plantar flexor strength and size decrease following single-leg disuse in uninjured adults: A meta-analysis.Clinical physiology and functional imaging · 2025Pooled it
- Characterizing Musculoskeletal Tissue Mechanics Based on Shear Wave Propagation: A Systematic Review of Current Methods and Reported Measurements.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2022Pooled it
- In Vivo Strain Patterns in the Achilles Tendon During Dynamic Activities: A Comprehensive Survey of the Literature.Sports medicine - open · 2023Review
- Quadriceps strength, patellar tendon quality, relative load exposure, and knee symptoms in male athletes before the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2023Article
- The role of loading in murine models of rotator cuff disease.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2022Article
- Stimuli for Adaptations in Muscle Length and the Length Range of Active Force Exertion-A Narrative Review.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Review
- The impact of loading, unloading, ageing and injury on the human tendon.The Journal of physiology · 2019Review
- Age-related greater Achilles tendon compliance is not associated with larger plantar flexor muscle fascicle strains in senior women.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2014Article
- The effect of acute exercise on collagen turnover in human tendons: influence of prior immobilization period.European journal of applied physiology · 2013Article
- Clinical application of diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging in skeletal muscle.Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal · 2012Article
- Unilateral lower limb suspension: integrative physiological knowledge from the past 20 years (1991-2011).European journal of applied physiology · 2012Review
- Human soleus muscle architecture at different ankle joint angles from magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2011Article
- Temporal response of canine flexor tendon to limb suspension.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2010Article
- Reduction in tendon elasticity from unloading is unrelated to its hypertrophy.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2010Article
- In vivo intramuscular fascicle-aponeuroses dynamics of the human medial gastrocnemius during plantarflexion and dorsiflexion of the foot.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2009Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The objective of this study was to measure and monitor changes in Achilles tendon mechanical properties and force production capability of triceps surae muscles after 4 wk of limb suspension and 6 wk of physical rehabilitation. Five healthy volunteers underwent unilateral lower limb suspension followed by weekly physiotherapy. A velocity-encoded, phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (VE-PC-MRI) technique was used to estimate the tendon strain as a function of force produced during the submaximal isometric contractions. After limb suspension, triceps surae muscle strength decreased to 53.2 +/- 15.6% (mean +/- SD) of the presuspension level (P < 0.05). Young's modulus, estimated from the slope of the tendon stress-strain relationship, decreased by 17.1% (from 140.50 +/- 29.33 to 119.95 +/- 36.07 MPa, P < 0.05), while the tendon transition point, reflecting the "toe region," increased by 55.7% (from 2.2 +/- 1.0% to 3.4 +/- 1.24%). Muscle strength, tendon stiffness, and transition point recovered to presuspension levels by the end of 6 wk of rehabilitation. Calcaneus movement was significant during the "isometric" contraction, accounting for 52.13 +/- 7.63% of the tendon displacement. Tendon cross-sectional area determined from anatomic magnetic resonance axial images remained unchanged, suggesting that the altered tendon elastic modulus and transition point were largely due to material deterioration. The increase in the transition point following chronic unloading as measured by the VE-PC-MRI technique has not been previously reported and offers new insights into the biomechanical changes that may occur in the tendon crimp structure.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.