National Rugby League athletes and tendon tap reflex assessment: a matched cohort clinical study

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Research Article

Paul Ohmsen¹  Greg Condon¹  James Maurini²  Rodney Pope²  Wayne Hing² 

[1] Gold Coast Titans, Gold Coast, Australia;Physiotherapy, Bond University, 2 Promethean Way, 4226, Robina, Queensland, Australia;

关键词: Tendon tap reflex;    Stretch reflex;    Elite athlete;    Monosynaptic reflex;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12891-016-1305-3

 received in 2016-08-01, accepted in 2016-10-18,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundLimited research suggests elite athletes may differ from non-athletes in clinical tendon tap reflex responses.MethodsIn this matched cohort study, 25 elite rugby league athletes were compared with 29 non-athletes to examine differences in tendon reflex responses. Relationships between reflex responses and lengths of players’ careers were also examined. Biceps, triceps, patellar and Achilles tendon reflexes were clinically assessed.ResultsRight and left reflexes were well correlated for each tendon (rS = 0.7–0.9). The elite rugby league athletes exhibited significantly weaker reflex responses than non-athletes in all four tendons (p < 0.005). Biceps reflexes demonstrated the largest difference and Achilles reflexes the smallest difference. Moderate negative correlations (rS = −0.3–0.6) were observed between reflex responses and lengths of players’ careers.ConclusionsFuture research is required to further elucidate mechanisms resulting in the observed differences in tendon reflexes and to ensure clinical tendon tap examinations and findings can be interpreted appropriately in this athletic population.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2016