CompletedNot Applicable

Muscle-Tendon Mechanics During Locomotor Tasks, Efficacy of Collagen Supplementation for Older Adults

United Kingdom21 participantsStarted 2019-01-15

Plain-language summary

Older adults are at higher risks of tripping and falling than young adults. These falls may lead to serious injuries (bone fractures, head trauma…) and premature death. They also have an important economic cost for the society. One of the reasons identified for this increased risk of falling is the modification of muscles and tendons functional and architectural parameters with age. It is now well established that muscles of older adults are smaller and weaker, while tendons, that modulate the outcomes of muscle contraction, are less able to resist to tension and transmit forces more slowly than in young age. These changes have functional implications, especially in tasks that require to quickly generate high forces, such as recovering from a trip. This study aims to determine the links between muscle-tendon characteristics and locomotion, and to understand whether they can be improved by a four-months collagen supplementation. The investigators will measure the muscular strength and tendon stiffness of lower limb musculotendinous units (MTU) for older adults using isokinetic dynamometry (IKD) and ultrasounds. Participants' abilities to recover from a trip will then be evaluated using a custom built tripping device while walking on a treadmill (participants will wear a whole body harness attached to a rope secured to the ceiling). These performances will be linked to MTU characteristics and compared between both age groups. Finally, the investigators will evaluate the effect of a nutritional supplementation on the mechanical properties of elderly tendons and its potential impacts on their ability to safely recover from a trip, on their lean mass, and on other life quality related markers (joint pain, balance, stair climbing capacities...). The investigators expect that this study will lead to a new intervention aiming to improve the safety of older adults performing their daily activities using nutritional supplementation, which is known to have better adherence than training interventions.

Who can participate

Age range50 Years

SexALL

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Inclusion Criteria: * Men and women over 50 years * Mean age: maximum 65 years Exclusion Criteria: * Any lower limb injury in the last 6 months * A joint replacement * Neural, musculoskeletal or balance disorder that could affect the musculoskeletal system or capacity to execute functional tasks * Be taking any nutritional supplements that affect muscle or tendon size or function or stopped its intake less than 3 months before the baseline * Presence of systemic diseases (e.g., diabetes mellitus or cardiovascular, kidney, liver or lung disease) * Pregnant or breast feeding * History of drug abuse * Taking anti-inflammatory medication within 24 hours the baseline * Allergic to any ingredient in the test products (meat, fish or soy) * Concurrent participation in other clinical studies * Taking medication to treat a chronic disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, gout and inflammatory joint disease for example bursitis or tennis elbow, and any other type of chronic pain syndrome other than osteoarthritis)

What they're measuring

Tendon stiffness

Timeframe: at baseline and after the end of the supplementation period (4-months)

Trial details

NCT IDNCT03563261

SponsorLiverpool John Moores University

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2021-06-15