Falk Mersmann
Muscle-tendon adaptationFalk studies the development of muscle and tendon during adolescence and the superimposed effect of mechanical loading. Specifically, he investigates in young volleyball athletes, a high-risk cohort for tendinopathy, if the twofold stimulus of maturation and athletic training might induce an imbalance in the development of muscle and tendon. In a cross-sectional and two longitudinal studies the development of functional and mechanical properties of muscle and tendon was adressed, and the underlying morphological and structural mechanisms explored. With the end of the PhD project in sight, the results of this research endeavour suggests that athletic training can induce a perturbation of the adaptational dynamics of muscle and tendon which manifests as a non-uniform development of muscle strength and tendon stiffness. This results in a chronically and episodically increased mechanical demand placed upon the tendon and, thus, a greater challenge for the integrety of the tendinous tissue with potential implications for the disposition of tendon overuse injury. |
|||||
Supervision Committee
|
|||||
| Falk studied sports science in Berlin. Since 2009 he has been working as a student assistant at the Department of Training and Movement Sciences and received a position as a research fellow following his graduation in 2011. Since then he has been engaged in several reserach projects in the field of muscle-tendon unit plasticity as well as fall prevention and is currently teaching biomechanics and motor control in bachelor and master courses. | |||||
 foto credit: Tanja Barthels |
ContactFalk Mersmann, Doctoral Researcher
Philippstr. 13, Haus 11, R. 1.20
|
||||