Minimizing Injury and Maximizing Return to Play: Lessons from Engineered Ligaments
Keith Baar1,2
1Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA, 95616, USA. kbaar@ucdavis.edu.
Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
|March 24, 2017
Summary
Engineered ligaments reveal optimal training for sinew health. Short, frequent exercise with long rests enhances tendon and ligament function, aiding injury prevention and faster return to sports.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanical Engineering
- Sports Medicine
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Musculoskeletal injuries cause over 70% of sports-related time loss.
- Limited understanding exists on how training impacts tendon and ligament (sinew) structure and function.
- Sinews are dense tissues challenging to study in vivo and in vitro.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of training stimuli on engineered sinew tissues.
- To explore factors influencing sinew physiology, including exercise, hormones, and nutrition.
- To develop improved training and nutritional strategies for sinew injury prevention and recovery.
Main Methods:
- Development of in vitro engineered ligaments using human anterior cruciate ligament or hamstring tendon cells.
- Mechanical testing of engineered sinews after exposure to various agents and stimuli.
- Utilizing engineered sinews to screen potential nutritional interventions.
Main Results:
- Sinews exhibit rapid refractoriness to exercise stimulus, suggesting short activity bouts ( <10 min) with long rest periods (6 h) are optimal.
- Estrogen was found to decrease sinew function.
- A factor released after intense exercise enhances sinew collagen synthesis and function.
Conclusions:
- Tissue-engineered sinews provide a viable model for studying sinew physiology and response to stimuli.
- Findings support the development of novel training and nutritional protocols to minimize injury and accelerate return to play in athletes.
