#72 - Tendons: from exercise adaptation to injury and rehabilitation, with Professor Michael Kjær

Dr Glenn McConell chats with Professor Michael Kjær from the Department of Clinical Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He is an expert on tendons and exercise. We chatted about muscle vs musculotendinous junction vs tendon, what structures get injured and why, tendon injuries: mechanisms, prevention, treatment, acute vs chronic/overuse tendon injuries, best to rest or exercise injured tendons?, whether diet, supplements or medicine can assist recovery from tendon injuries etc. We also discussed his earlier work on glucose metabolism during exercise. A very interesting chat.0:00. Introduction2:05. How Michael got into exercise research5:54. His glucose metabolism during exercise work11:20. Redundancy in physiology, animal vs human work13:45. His muscle work and movement into injury research etc16:20. His move into connective tissue/tendon research21:30. Taking a risk to move fields/finding collaborations23:30. Muscle vs musculotendinous junction vs tendon28:00. Why get muscle/tendon injuries31:45. Tendon stretches as muscle shortens33:05. Age and body weight effects on injury34:15. Interface between muscle and tendon37:10. Tendon overuse injuries41:40. What determines if injury occurs in muscle vs tendon44:20. Why tendon can feel better once warms up46:45. Water accumulation vs structural changes48:00. No evidence that exercising painful tendon increases rupture50:00. Development and turnover of tendons/circadian rhythm52:08. Blood vessels and flow in tendons at rest/during exercise55:00. Strength training and tendon size56:20. Best not to rest if injured tendon57:45. Need controlled loading of tendon to recover1:00:00. Supplements/surgery for tendon recovery?1:01:00. Can a tendon biopsy activate tendon repair?1:02:40. 3 x 10 reps per week may be enough1:04:50. Don’t need to focus on eccentric phase1:06:35. Need good shoes etc to reduce injury?1:09:00. What is a tendonopathy?1:10:00. RICE, anti inflammatories and cortisol shots etc?1:13:01. Collagen etc supplements and tendons1:15:10. Prevention of tendon injuries1:17:40. Signs of tendon injury1:20:20. Does warm up/ stretching reduce injury?1:23:18. Can a tendon torn off the bone recover without surgery?1:24:10. Age and tendon stiffness: inactivity vs age1:25:50. Fast twitch fibers and injuries1:27:35. Type 2 diabetes and tendon problems1:28:35. Can predict tendon injuries?1:29:18. Do tendons secrete molecules during exercise?1:30:00. Circadian rhythm, sleep and tendons1:32:17. Takeaway messages1:33:28. OutroInside Exercise brings to you the who's who of research in exercise metabolism, exercise physiology and exercise’s effects on health. With scientific rigor, these researchers discuss popular exercise topics while providing practical strategies for all.The interviewer, Emeritus Professor Glenn McConell, has an international research profile following 30 years of Exercise Metabolism research experience while at The University of Melbourne, Ball State University, Monash University, the University of Copenhagen and Victoria University.He has published over 120 peer reviewed journal articles and recently edited an Exercise Metabolism eBook written by world experts on 17 different topics (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-94305-9).Connect with Inside Exercise and Glenn McConell at:Twitter: @Inside_exercise and @GlennMcConell1Instagram: insideexerciseFacebook: Glenn McConellLinkedIn: Glenn McConell https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-mcconell-83475460ResearchGate: Glenn McConellEmail: [email protected] to Inside exercise:Spotify: shorturl.at/tyGHLApple Podcasts: shorturl.at/oFQRUYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@insideexerciseAnchor: https://anchor.fm/insideexerciseGoogle Podcasts: shorturl.at/bfhHIAnchor: https://anchor.fm/insideexercisePodcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4025218Not medical advice