title: Massage may initiate tendon structural changes--a preliminary study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physical exercise is now a widely known and studied factor of the proper functioning of living organisms. Many questions remain unanswered concerning various aspects of the changes in the morphology of structures subjected to chronic physical exercise.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted on fifty Buffalo strain rats, randomly divided into two equal (experimental and control) groups. All animals were subjected to physical training on a running track for 10 weeks, whereas only in the experimental group, massage was additionally applied five-times per week.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An increase in the percentage of collagen fibers in tendons with the smallest diameter (≤100 nm) was observed only in the experimental group in week 3, followed by a decrease in weeks 5 and 7. A subsequent repeated increase was observed in week 10 of the study. No significant differences were observed for either study group in the number of collagen fibers based on fiber diameter (101-200 nm, 201-300 nm and 301-400 nm).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this preliminary study showed that long-term massage performed during running training may initiate for small structural changes in the rat tendon. Further morphological studies with prolonged observation periods are recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, University School of Physical Education, Wroclaw, Poland Public Higher Medical Professional School, Opole, Poland.
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Andrzejewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, University School of Physical Education, Wroclaw, Poland Public Higher Medical Professional School, Opole, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kassolik
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, University School of Physical Education, Wroclaw, Poland Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dziegiel
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Bartosz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pula
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ratajczak-Wielgomas
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jablonska
authors.affiliation: Public Higher Medical Professional School, Opole, Poland Department of Family Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Donata
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kurpas
authors.affiliation: Public Higher Medical Professional School, Opole, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Halski
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, University School of Physical Education, Wroclaw, Poland Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland ch.kobierzycki@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kobierzycki
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Marzena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Podhorska-Okolow
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008405:Massage; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal; D011915:Rats, Inbred BUF; D012420:Running; D013710:Tendons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen
keywords: Physical exercise; connective tissue; electron microscopy; massage