TY - JOUR

T1 - Impact of oral contraceptive use and menstrual phases on patellar tendon morphology, biochemical composition and biomechanical properties in female athletes

AU - Hansen, Mette Damborg

AU - Couppe, Christian

AU - Hansen, Christina

AU - Skovgaard, Dorthe

AU - Kovanen, Vuokko

AU - Larsen, Jytte Overgaard

AU - Aagaard, Per

AU - Magnusson, S Peter

AU - Kjaer, Michael

PY - 2013/2/21

Y1 - 2013/2/21

N2 - Introduction: Gender differences exist with regards to ligament and tendon injuries. Lower collagen synthesis has been observed in exercising females vs. males, and in users of oral contraceptives (OC) vs non-users, but it is unknown if OC will influence tendon biomechanics of females undergoing regular training. Material and Method: 30 female athletes (handball players, 18-30 yrs) were recruited: Fifteen long-term users of OC (7.0±0.6 yrs) and 15 non-users (> 5 yrs). Synchronized values of patellar tendon elongation (obtained by ultrasonography) and tendon force were sampled during ramped isometric knee extensor MVC to estimate mechanical tendon properties. Further, tendon cross-sectional area and length were measured from MRI images, and tendon biopsies were obtained for analysis of tendon fibril characteristics and collagen cross-linking. Results: Overall, no difference in tendon biomechanical properties, tendon fibril characteristics or collagen cross-linking was observed between the OC-users and non-users, or between the different phases of the menstrual cycle. In athletes, tendon CSA in the preferred jumping leg tended to be larger than the contra-lateral leg (p=0.09), and a greater absolute (p=0.01) and normalized tendon stiffness (p=0.02), as well as a lower strain (p=0.04) were observed in the jumping leg compared to the contra-lateral leg. Conclusion: The results indicate that long-term OC use or menstrual phases does not influence structure or mechanical properties of the patellar tendon in female team handball athletes.

AB - Introduction: Gender differences exist with regards to ligament and tendon injuries. Lower collagen synthesis has been observed in exercising females vs. males, and in users of oral contraceptives (OC) vs non-users, but it is unknown if OC will influence tendon biomechanics of females undergoing regular training. Material and Method: 30 female athletes (handball players, 18-30 yrs) were recruited: Fifteen long-term users of OC (7.0±0.6 yrs) and 15 non-users (> 5 yrs). Synchronized values of patellar tendon elongation (obtained by ultrasonography) and tendon force were sampled during ramped isometric knee extensor MVC to estimate mechanical tendon properties. Further, tendon cross-sectional area and length were measured from MRI images, and tendon biopsies were obtained for analysis of tendon fibril characteristics and collagen cross-linking. Results: Overall, no difference in tendon biomechanical properties, tendon fibril characteristics or collagen cross-linking was observed between the OC-users and non-users, or between the different phases of the menstrual cycle. In athletes, tendon CSA in the preferred jumping leg tended to be larger than the contra-lateral leg (p=0.09), and a greater absolute (p=0.01) and normalized tendon stiffness (p=0.02), as well as a lower strain (p=0.04) were observed in the jumping leg compared to the contra-lateral leg. Conclusion: The results indicate that long-term OC use or menstrual phases does not influence structure or mechanical properties of the patellar tendon in female team handball athletes.

U2 - 10.1152/japplphysiol.01255.2012

DO - 10.1152/japplphysiol.01255.2012

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 23429870

VL - 114

SP - 998

EP - 1008

JO - Journal of Applied Physiology

JF - Journal of Applied Physiology

SN - 8750-7587

ER -