Detraining and Tendon Health/Performance
By: Dr. Mitch Broser
Tendon is the connective tissue that connects muscle to bone, allowing for the transmission of force and the production of human movement. Tendons can be very powerful and produce a lot of force through the stretch-shortening cycle – a spring-like mechanism that allows a tendon to length and load eccentrically, create tension rapidly and produce an even more powerful concentric contraction. An effective stretch-shortening cycles allows for energy conservation while enhancing propulsive forces at the same time.
Imagine jumping on a brand new trampoline – the springs are very stiff and the trampoline material is very tight. When you jump and land on the trampoline, you don’t sink down very deep but you and spring up very quickly, and high!
Through optimal training, tendons don’t become stretchy – they can create stiffness and rigidity very quickly. This is a positive adaptation that optimizes the stretch-shortening cycle, allowing for more explosive movements while developing a tougher, stronger, more resilient tendon. When you see a talented basketball player dunk a basket, saying “she has springs for legs” has a whole new meaning!
With detraining or cessation of training, tendons stop experiencing load and adapt accordingly. Tissue structure changes, leading to suboptimal force transmission while experiencing greater maximal elongation with a reduction in stiffness. This leads to a “sloppy tendon” (not a medical term) that becomes less powerful and more prone to injury. Much like a trampoline with stretchy springs and loose material – you can’t jump very high!
Data suggests that some tendons are more susceptible to injury (acute or chronic), including the Achilles tendon, tibialis posterior tendon, rotator cuff tendons and patellar tendon, but pathology can occur in any tendon. Tendon weakening due to detraining occurs very quickly. Studies have shown that 3 months of training can leading to huge gains, but only 4 weeks of detraining (no training at all) caused tendon health and performance to return to pre-training levels!
Image: Tendon Pathology Continuum – Cook & Purdham, 2009
This is very important to consider for anyone looking to return to training or start a new activity after some time away. Here are 2 common scenarios I see:
- Return from injury or illness. If you get sick or experience an injury, taking time off for rest is necessary. If you need to take more than a few days off though, you need to consider your tendon health when you return to training or playing. When you return, it wouldn’t be wise to return to the same intensity and/or volume of training because your tendons won’t be in their peak shape. A tendon-specific rehab program and progressive return to other training is necessary for optimal recovery and a return to pre-injury levels. 30-50% of all sporting injuries involve tendon!
- Training build for a new season. The snow melts and you dust the running shoes off to get back into running again. You packed on a few LB’s over the winter so it’s time to get to work! You start running 3, 4, maybe 5 days a week, and within a few weeks you’re Achilles starts acting up… you’re suffering from an achilles tendonitis! Hibernating all winter led to a reduction in your Achilles tendon strength and springy-ness, so it couldn’t handle the loads of running 3 days a week! Proper strength training over the winter and a strategic build of running volume and intensity can help avoid this common issue.
References:
- Cook JL, Purdam CR. Is tendon pathology a continuum? A pathology model to explain the clinical presentation of load-induced tendinopathy. Br J Sports Med. 2009 Jun;43(6):409-16. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2008.051193. Epub 2008 Sep 23. PMID: 18812414.
- Frizziero A, Salamanna F, Della Bella E, Vittadini F, Gasparre G, Nicoli Aldini N, Masiero S, Fini M. The Role of Detraining in Tendon Mechanobiology. Front Aging Neurosci. 2016 Feb 29;8:43. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00043. PMID: 26973517; PMCID: PMC4770795.