Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Tendons show morphological and vascular adaptations to mechanical loadings.
OBJECTIVE:
To measure and compare the features of regional microcirculation within the supraspinatus tendon, and to investigate the correlations between those features and shoulder strength in overhead athletes.
METHODS:
Seventeen badminton athletes were recruited. DCE-MRI was conducted on the tendons in each athlete's dominant arm, including measures for the volume transfer constant (K
trans
), reverse reflux rate constant(K
ep
) and the extravascular extracellular space volume (V
e
). Isokinetic tests were used to measure the acceleration time and the relative fatigue ratio of the shoulder external rotation of the arm.
RESULTS:
The DCE-MRI measures for the anterior, posterior, and entirety of the tendon showed regional differences and correlations between the K
ep
values for the whole supraspinatus tendon and the acceleration time (r = -0.663, p= 0.005) and between the V
p
value of the whole tendon and the relative fatigue ratio (r = -0.605, p= 0.01).
CONCLUSION:
There are differences in the microcirculatory features of the anterior and posterior portions of the supraspinatus tendon. In addition, microcirculation at the supraspinatus tendon and shoulder external rotation explosive strength and fatigue are correlated.