Published in:
Open Access
01-12-2013 | Research article
Uphill treadmill running does not induce histopathological changes in the rat Achilles tendon
Authors:
Rachel C Dirks, Jeffrey S Richard, Angela M Fearon, Alexander Scott, Lauren G Koch, Steven L Britton, Stuart J Warden
Published in:
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
|
Issue 1/2013
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Abstract
Background
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether uphill treadmill running in rats created histopathological changes within the Achilles tendon consistent with Achilles tendinosis in humans.
Methods
Twenty-six mature rats selectively bred for high-capacity running were divided into run and cage control groups. Run group rats ran on a treadmill at a 15° incline for a maximum duration of 1 hr/d, 5 d/wk for 9 weeks at increasing speeds, while rats in the cage control group maintained normal cage activity. After 9 weeks, Achilles tendons were harvested for histological processing and semi-quantitative histopathological analysis.
Results
There were no significant group differences within each of the individual histopathological categories assessed (all p ≥ 0.16) or for total histopathological score (p = 0.14).
Conclusions
Uphill treadmill running in rats selectively bred for high-capacity running did not generate Achilles tendon changes consistent with the histopathological presentation of Achilles tendinosis in humans.