Longitudinal Evidence for High-Level Patellar Tendon Strain as a Risk Factor for Tendinopathy in Adolescent Athletes.

The study provides novel longitudinal evidence that high tendon strain could be an important risk factor for patellar tendinopathy in adolescent athletes. We suggest that inadequate adaptation of tendon stiffness to increases in muscle strength may occur if adolescent athletes are subject to mechanical loading which does not  provide effective tendon stimulation.