Efficacy of Inertial Flywheel vs Heavy Slow Resistance Training Among Athletes With Patellar Tendinopathy

Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

Status: Completed

Conditions: Patellar Tendinitis; Jumper's Knee

Treatments: Behavioral: Exercises program for patellar tendinopathy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03917849

UCordoba

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this project is to investigate the efficacy of Inertial Flywheel Resistance program vs Heavy slow resistance in patients with chronic patellar tendinopathy.

The investigators hypothesize that Inertial Flywheel Resistance program will yield a more positive clinical outcome and function in patients with patellar tendinopathy compared to heavy slow resistance group.

Full description

Randomized controlled intervention study

Enrollment: 42 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 50 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Clinical diagnosis of patellar tendinopathy
• Symptoms > 3 months
• Pain localized to the inferior pole of the patella
• Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment (VISA) score less than 80 points
• Palpation tenderness of the patellar tendon
• Abnormal tendon (hypoechoic) confirmed by ultrasonography.

Exclusion criteria

• Previous knee surgery
• Confounding diagnosis to the knee joint
• Previous corticosteroids injections
• Arthritis or diabetes

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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42 participants in 2 patient groups

Heavy slow resistance training

Experimental group

Description:

The program is performed 3 times per week using resistance equipment in a fitness center. Each session consists of three 2-legged loaded quadriceps and lower limb kinetic chain exercises. The patients complete 3 or 4 sets in each exercise with a 2- to 3-minute rest between sets and a 5-minute rest period between the 3 exercises. The number of repetitions decreases, and load gradually increases, every week. The repetitions and loads are as follows: 3 times, 15-repetition maximum (15RM ), in week 1; 3 times, 12RM , in weeks 2 to 3; 4 times, 10RM , in weeks 4 to 5; 4 times, 8RM , in weeks 6 to 8; and 4 times, 6RM , in weeks 9 to 12.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Exercises program for patellar tendinopathy

Inertial flywheel resistance training

Experimental group

Description:

The program is performed 3 times per week using resistance equipment in a fitness center. Inertial flywheel resistance is a type of strength training; which is based on the increasing demands on eccentric action (breaking) after a concentric action (acceleration), due to the inertial load caused during the return movement. The patients complete 12 repetition máximum (RM) with moment inertia 0.05 m² from week 1-6 and 8 repetition máximum (RM) with moment inertia = 0.10 m² from week 6-12.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Exercises program for patellar tendinopathy