What is the role of tendons in the body?
Tendons play a crucial role in the body by connecting muscles to bones. They transmit muscle force to the bones to enable movement. They allow muscles to pull on bones to produce movement.
They also control movement by acting as muscle brakes, which can help maintain balance and stabilize joints!
But very often, the tendons are the athlete's Achilles heel. While crucial to movement, they are vulnerable to overuse. Unlike muscles, they do not respond to reinforcement via mechanical actions.
Tendons are like rubber bands: the stiffer they are, the harder they are to stretch (and break) and the more energy they can store. For example, rigid tendons will allow better energy saving during a run.
But when it breaks, it's a disaster. In general, mild Achilles tendon injuries can take months to heal, while more serious injuries may require surgery and longer recovery time.
Tendons and ligaments are mainly composed of collagen, up to 85%. Research has therefore focused on the benefits of collagen on the latter and how it can accelerate repair and increase the synthesis of new collagen in connective tissues.
Scientific study on collagen and tendons
We tell you in this article about a study recently published in the journal "Frontiers in Physiology" of a group from Liverpool University in 17 high-level female football players aged 21.
Half consumed a drink with collagen up to 10g per day and the other half a placebo. We measured the properties of the patellar tendon which connects the knee to the leg with ultrasound and stress tests. The scientists specifically chose this tendon because it is often the location of injuries in football players. The study sought above all to measure the strength of the tendon, its rigidity.
The results show an improvement in tendon strength of +18% for the group that consumed collagen.
It will be important to carry out further studies, but since tendons heal very slowly (if ever) after an injury, anything that can strengthen them and improve their properties is very important, both for the prevention and rehabilitation.
Our history
It was partly because of severe tendon problems that we started consuming collagen with my partner Sébastien. I suffered from regular tendinopathy and he tore the tendon in his arm by almost a centimeter.
If our symptoms quickly disappeared, we really took no pleasure in consuming collagen daily. That's why we decided to create collagen food products that are healthy, good and easy to consume on a daily basis.
Of course, we continue to feel pain because we maintain intense physical activity, like at the age of 20. However, our muscle, tendon and joint well-being continues to improve over time.
If you want to take care of your tendons, don't hesitate to discover our collagen-based products .
Take care !
