The spring edition of the congress newsletter is focused on the Foot, a key programme and abstract topic of the WSTC & 7th EFOST Congress 2012.
We bring you a report straight from the desk of the Scientific Programme Committee member, Nicola Maffulli MD, MS, PhD, FRCS(Orth):
Achilles Tendon Problems
In the past three decades, the incidence of overuse injury has risen because of greater participation in recreational and competitive sporting activities.
Excessive repetitive overload of tendons is regarded as the main pathological stimulus which leads to tendinopathy. The aetiology of this pathologic condition remains unclear.
Tendinopathies have been linked to overuse, poor vascularity, lack of flexibility, genetic make-up, gender, endocrine or metabolic factors.
Excessive loading of the tendon during vigorous physical training is regarded as the main pathological stimulus. The tendon may respond to repetitive overload beyond physiological threshold by either inflammation of its sheath or degeneration of its body, or by a combination of both.
Damage to the tendon can occur even if it is stressed within its physiological limits since frequent cumulative microtrauma may not leave enough time for repair.
Microtrauma can result from non-uniform stress within tendons producing abnormal concentrations of load within the tendon, frictional forces between.... read article in full.
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