Brief summary, from the abstract
In athletes with longstanding patellar tendinopathy, a 12-week inertial flywheel resistance programme produced pain and function gains similar to those from heavy slow resistance training, with neither approach clearly outperforming the other.
- Randomised trial of 42 participants (41 men, 1 woman) with patellar tendinopathy lasting more than 3 months, split evenly into flywheel (N = 21) and heavy slow resistance (N = 21) groups.
- Both groups improved significantly on the VISA-P pain and function score from baseline to 12 weeks, but the difference between groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.506).
- No significant adverse events occurred in either group, so flywheel training appears to be a viable alternative exercise option.
- Evidence comes from a single small trial with a 12-week follow-up and an almost entirely male sample, which limits how broadly the findings apply.
Clinically assessing this area? See the knee special tests.