Obesity-Induced Changes in Tendon Morphology: A Comparative Ultrasound Study of Patellar and Achilles Tendons
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31580/pjmls.v7i4.3182Keywords:
Achilles tendon, Obesity-related tendon changes, Obesity, Patellar tendon, Tendon thickness, Ultrasonographic assessment of tendonsAbstract
Tendons’ health is strongly linked to obesity which it leads to alterations such as tendon hypertrophy and decreased flexibility. The patellar and Achilles tendons are two of the prominent structures in the lower limb which are under a lot of stress as far as mechanical and metabolic demand is concerned in the obese population. The present study is designed to measure and contrast the Achilles and Patellar tendon thickness in targeted individuals Obese and Non-Obese subjects and to examine the correlations between BMI and tendon thickness. It also aimed at identifying gender-specific variations in tendon morphology. In this cross-sectional study, the subjects were 218 in total, of which 109 were non-obese with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2 and 109 were obese with a BMI≥30kg/m2. Tendon thickness was measured by ultrasonography at specific points of the tendon. The statistical analysis consisted of a t-test to compare the tendon thickness and correlation to examine the association between BMI and tendon cross-sectional area. Results: It was revealed that the patellar and Achilles tendon thickness was higher in obese subjects when compared with the non-obese subjects (p < 0.001). Only moderate positive correlations were observed between BMI and tendon thickness for both tendons (r=0.59, p<0,001). Also, the gender specific analysis showed that the tendons were thicker in males and this could be explained by hormonal and mechanical factors. These findings indicate that obesity leads to significant structural changes in tendons which is a consequence of mechanical factors as well as systemic inflammation. These findings highlight the need to incorporate ultrasonography as part of the clinical assessment for obese patients especially to identify tendon pathology at the earliest possible time.
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