On this episode I focus on a new study from my PhD student Eman Merza. It is a cross-over randomised trial testing the effect of high and low contraction time and high and low intensity isometric contractions on acute changes to tendon volume and stiffness. Some very interesting potential insights for tendon adaptation. Good work, Eman! Hope you enjoy.  Peter Here is a link to the study (open access for a few weeks):  https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/225/10/jeb243741/275395 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Had a lovely chat with Shawn Hanlon who is a PhD candidate about his relatively new paper exploring patient features and clinical characteristics and how they may define certain subgroups of Achilles tendinopathy . Lots more to learn in this field and this is early work, but we discuss some of the juicy potential clinical implications. Hope you enjoy! And here is the link to the paper and also the  1/ Hanlon, S.L., Pohlig, R.T. and Silbernagel, K.G., 2021. Beyond the diagnosis: Using patient characteristics and domains of tendon health to identify latent subgroups of Achilles tendinopathy. journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy, 51(9), pp.440-448. 2/ And this is the bumper issue of JOSPT from 2015 that is all about tendinopathy: journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy, 45(11)  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Arthur Saniotis and Maciej Henneberg are David's colleagues from his days at the University of Adelaide and are Biological Anthropologists who have published extremely interesting research on what they term "endomyccorhizae ligand interface", or ‘ELI’ for short. David and Tim got to replicate the kinds of interesting discussions David has had many times in their old office, and discovered the incredible power of this prospective technology. Articles mentioned in this podcast: Integration of Nanobots Into Neural Circuits As a Future Therapy for Treating Neurodegenerative Disorders. Neurosurgical robots and ethical challenges to medicine. Medicorobots’ As an Emerging Biopower: How COVID-19 Has Accelerated Artificial Intelligence in A Post Corona-World. Feasibility of Nano-based Neuroprosthetics in Neurosurgery. If you have any thoughts, questions, or want to how to best manifest destiny and contribute to your community, contact us and send us an audio clip at [email protected] Want to work with David? Get in contact on his website. Need help with your podcast project? Ask Tim of Whimsy Productions. If you have any drink suggestions or have a great idea for a spirited conversation, contact us and send us an audio clip at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is lots of debate about the pain mechanisms, particularly if there are central changes, in Achilles and other tendinopathies. Most studies in the literature use proxy measures of central sensitisation like pressure pain threshold away from the painful site, Other measures like conditioned pain modulation have been investigated less frequently. In this episode of talking tendons I discuss a huge new study investigating CPM in Achilles tendinopathy with some interesting findings and implications. Hope you enjoy! Here is the link to the study: Mkumbuzi, N.S., Mafu, T.S., September, A.V., Posthumus, M. and Collins, M., 2021. Conditioned pain modulation is not altered in recreational athletes with Achilles tendinopathy. Translational Sports Medicine, 4(1), pp.147-153. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is one of my favourite narrative expert reviews that discusses the benefits of human biologic springs like the Achilles tendon. These benefits can be summarised as follows:  Metabolic energy conservation Amplification of muscle power output Attenuation of muscle power input Some really interesting mechanisms and insights for rehabilitation . I hope you enjoy! Here is the link to the study: Roberts, T.J. and Azizi, E., 2011. Flexible mechanisms: the diverse roles of biological springs in vertebrate movement. Journal of experimental biology, 214(3), pp.353-361. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I had a great time talking Gluteal tendinopathy with Chris Clifford. Chris is an experienced clinician from Glasgow who is in the throws of completing his PhD on this condition. We chatted about rehab, the use of isometrics, difficult patient groups and how to navigate them, and much more.  I hope you enjoy! Here is 2 related publications from Chris' PhD:  1/ Clifford, C., Paul, L., Syme, G. and Millar, N.L., 2019. Isometric versus isotonic exercise for greater trochanteric pain syndrome: a randomised controlled pilot study. BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 5(1), p.e000558. 2/ Clifford, C., Challoumas, D., Paul, L., Syme, G. and Millar, N.L., 2020. Effectiveness of isometric exercise in the management of tendinopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 6(1), p.e000760. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patients often ask about dietary supplements and if they may be helpful in recovering from a tendinopathy problem. There is a new systematic review out which has attempted to answer this question and it is the subject of this episode of talking tendons. I hope you enjoy.    Here is the reference Qiu, F., Li, J. and Legerlotz, K., 2022. Does Additional Dietary Supplementation Improve Physiotherapeutic Treatment Outcome in Tendinopathy? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of clinical medicine, 11(6), p.1666.   And links to upcoming Mastering Lower Limb Tendinopathy course in Australia https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/mastering-lower-limb-tendinopathy-live-australia-211689 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will midportion Achilles pain improve if you wait and see? This is often a really important question to discuss with patients. Luckily we have some evidence to answer it which I explore in this short podcast (9 minutes). Hope you enjoy.  Here are the related studies 1/ Horstmann, T., Jud, H.M., Fröhlich, V., Mündermann, A. and Grau, S., 2013. Whole-body vibration versus eccentric training or a wait-and-see approach for chronic Achilles tendinopathy: a randomized clinical trial. journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy, 43(11), pp.794-803. 2/ Rompe, J.D., Nafe, B., Furia, J.P. and Maffulli, N., 2007. Eccentric loading, shock-wave treatment, or a wait-and-see policy for tendinopathy of the main body of tendo Achillis: a randomized controlled trial. The American journal of sports medicine, 35(3), pp.374-383. 3/ de Vos, R.J., van der Vlist, A.C., Zwerver, J., Meuffels, D.E., Smithuis, F., van Ingen, R., van der Giesen, F., Visser, E., Balemans, A., Pols, M. and Veen, N., 2021. Dutch multidisciplinary guideline on Achilles tendinopathy. British journal of sports medicine, 55(20), pp.1125-1134. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rhoderick Miller is back. This time, Rhoderick offers his Hyper-Realist perspective on how China has responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and whether the conflict could inspire a People’s Liberation Army invasion of Taiwan. Is it the right time for China to realize their decades-long ambition of claiming Taiwan, or is China facing too much internal insecurity to concern itself with large-scale invasion? Furthermore, why has Australia’s response to the growing insecurity in the Indo-Pacific region been so inadequate, and what should Canberra be doing instead? This Podcast is Produced by Michael Migali for SAGE International Australia. Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Tyre from HubSpot joins David and Tim to discuss effective communication and the rise of Inbound Marketing. Want to work with David? Get in contact on his website. Need help with your podcast project? Ask Tim of Whimsy Productions. If you have any thoughts, questions, or want to how to best manifest destiny and contribute to your community, contact us and send us an audio clip at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.