About this Research Topic
The interaction of muscle and tendon during movement heavily influences the performance of musculoskeletal systems. As both muscle and tendon are mechanosensitive and adapt to their mechanical environment, loading in terms of training can introduce cellular responses affecting the properties of these tissues and the functional interplay between them. Although mechanical loading is necessary for muscle and tendon adaptation and an improvement of muscle-tendon interaction during daily life activities, inappropriate loading conditions might also perturb a well-coordinated system and might even lead to imbalances between muscle strength and tendon mechanical properties. These imbalances can affect the injury risk of the tendon, the performance capacity of the muscle-tendon unit and the dose-response relationship of training stimuli. Changes in the energy exchange within the muscle-tendon unit can also be induced by pathologies or aging of the musculoskeletal system. In order to control the development of the muscle-tendon unit in a training or rehabilitation process, it is crucial to gain more insight in how to provide targeted stimuli for both muscle and tendon and how the stimulus needs to be adjusted in specific pathological conditions or in old age.
This Research Topic focuses on studies (including e.g. original research, perspectives, minireviews, commentaries and opinion papers) that investigate and discuss:
1) The influence of muscle-tendon interaction on movement performance in health, aging and disease
2) The effects of loading on the adaptation of muscle and tendon and the underlying processes of mechanotransduction
3) Changes in muscle-tendon interaction induced by tissue adaptation or degeneration
4) How pathology and aging might change mechanotransduction and adaptation
This Research Topic focuses on studies (including e.g. original research, perspectives, minireviews, commentaries and opinion papers) that investigate and discuss:
1) The influence of muscle-tendon interaction on movement performance in health, aging and disease
2) The effects of loading on the adaptation of muscle and tendon and the underlying processes of mechanotransduction
3) Changes in muscle-tendon interaction induced by tissue adaptation or degeneration
4) How pathology and aging might change mechanotransduction and adaptation
Keywords: Muscle, Tendon, Interaction, Adaptation, Pathology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
