Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Division of Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029 Urbino, Italy.
US Victoria Libertas Basketball, 61122 Pesaro, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 18;19(24):17017. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192417017.
The relationship between stiffness and drop jump performance in athletes in various stages of development has yet to be fully investigated. The first aim of this study was to investigate the association between the stiffness of the patellar and quadriceps tendon (PT, QT), gastrocnemius-Achilles tendon unit (GAT), and rectus femoris (RF) using drop jump (DJ) performance in young basketball players. The second aim was to investigate possible variations in the stiffness levels of those tissues in different developmental stages.
The stiffness levels of the GAT, PT, QT, and RF were measured in both limbs in 73 male basketball players aged 12 to 18 years. The reactive strength index (RSI), contact time (CT) and jump height (JH) during 30 and 40 cm DJs were also measured.
Pearson correlation coefficients showed a significant association between DJ performance and PT, QT, GAT, and RF dynamic stiffness. Moreover, the youngest subjects were found to have lower stiffness values than the older ones.
Tissue stiffness can affect athletic performance by modifying the stretch-shortening cycle in young basketball players. Stiffness of muscles and tendons increases during the maturation process. Further investigations could shed light on the effect of training on the stiffness of muscles and tendons.
在不同发育阶段的运动员中，僵硬程度与纵跳表现之间的关系尚未得到充分研究。本研究的首要目的是通过年轻篮球运动员的纵跳表现来研究髌腱和股四头肌肌腱（PT、QT）、跟腱-腓肠肌（GAT）和股直肌（RF）之间的僵硬关系。第二个目的是研究在不同发育阶段这些组织的僵硬程度是否存在差异。
对 73 名年龄在 12 至 18 岁的男性篮球运动员的双侧下肢进行 GAT、PT、QT 和 RF 僵硬度测量。还测量了 30cm 和 40cm 纵跳的反应强度指数（RSI）、接触时间（CT）和跳跃高度（JH）。
Pearson 相关系数显示，纵跳表现与 PT、QT、GAT 和 RF 的动态僵硬度之间存在显著关联。此外，最年轻的受试者的僵硬值低于年龄较大的受试者。
组织僵硬度可以通过改变年轻篮球运动员的弹伸周期来影响运动表现。肌肉和肌腱的僵硬度在成熟过程中增加。进一步的研究可以揭示训练对肌肉和肌腱僵硬度的影响。
