Age-related effect of static and cyclic loadings on the strain-force curve of the vastus lateralis tendon and aponeurosis

The objective of the present study was to investigate the age-related effects of submaximal static and cyclic loading on the mechanical properties of the vastus lateralis (VL) tendon and aponeurosis in vivo. Fourteen old and 12 young male subjects performed maximal voluntary isometric knee extensions (MVC) on a dynamometer before and after (a) a sustained isometric contraction at 25% MVC and (b) isokinetic contractions at 50% isokinetic MVC, both until task failure. The elongation of the VL tendon and aponeurosis was examined using ultrasonography. To calculate the resultant knee joint moment, the kinematics of the leg were recorded with eight cameras (120 Hz). The old adults displayed significantly lower maximal moments but higher strain values at any given tendon force from 400 N and up in all tested conditions. Neither of the loading protocols influenced the strain-force relationship of the VL tendon and aponeurosis in either the old or young adults. Consequently, the capacity of the tendon and aponeurosis to resist force remained unaffected in both groups. It can be concluded that in vivo tendons are capable of resisting long-lasting static (~4.6 min) or cyclic (~18.5 min) mechanical loading at the attained strain levels (4-5%) without significantly altering their mechanical properties regardless of age. This implies that as the muscle becomes unable to generate the required force due to fatigue, the loading of the tendon is terminated prior to provoking any significant changes in tendon mechanical properties.