Viscoelastic properties of cat tendon:​ effects of time after death and preservation by freezing

Matthews, Larry S.<sup>1</sup>; Ellis, Donald<sup>1</sup>

Affiliations

¹Section of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48 104, U.S.A.

Abstract

In this study postmortem changes in the character of the stress-strain limit cycle were analyzed for cat extensor communis and extensor lateralis tendons maintained in a stream of Ringer's solution and loaded with a short series of symmetrical triangular-wave stress cycles. The mechanical behavior of these tendons was compared with that of similar tendons which had been preserved by freezing.

It was found that the overall stiffness (average apparent elastic modulus) of these tendons did not change significantly in the first 3 hrs after death and that the shape characteristics of the stress-strain curves changed little under these conditions.

Tendons preserved by freezing displayed stress-strain limit cyclessimilar to those for fresh material. The average moduli for frozen tendons were lower than those from fresh tendons to a degree which was statistically significant.

Links

DOI: 10.1016/0021-9290(68)90008-0

PubMed: 16329293

History

Received: 1967-12-27

Cited Works (2)

Year	Entry
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1936	Cronkite AE. The tensile strength of human tendons. Anat Rec. January 1936;64(2):173-186.

Cited By (17)

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1994	Ogilvie-Harris DJ, Reed SC, Hedman TP. Disruption of the ankle syndesmosis: biomechanical study of the ligamentous restraints. Arthroscopy. October 1994;10(5):558-560.
1969	Ellis DG. Cross-sectional area measurements for tendon specimens: a comparison of several methods. J Biomech. 1969;2(2):175-186.
1973	Waters RL, Morris JM. An in vitro study of normal and scoliotic interspinous ligaments. J Biomech. July 1973;6(4):343-348.
1984	Butler DL, Grood ES, Noyes FR, Zernicke RF, Brackett K. Effects of structure and strain measurement technique on the material properties of young human tendons and fascia. J Biomech. 1984;17(8):579-596.
1986	Woo SL-Y, Orlando CA, Camp JF, Akeson WH. Effects of postmortem storage by freezing on ligament tensile behavior. J Biomech. 1986;19(5):399-404.
1987	Iaconis F, Steindler R, Marinozzi G. Measurements of cross-sectional area of collagen structures (knee ligaments) by means of an optical method. J Biomech. 1987;20(10):1003-1010.
1988	Smeathers JE, Joanes DN. Dynamic compressive properties of human lumbar intervertebral joints: a comparison between fresh and thawed specimens. J Biomech. 1988;21(5):425-433.
1980	Dorlot J-M, Ait Ba Sidi M, Tremblay GM, Drouin G. Load elongation behavior of the canine anterior cruciate ligament. J Biomech Eng. August 1980;102(3):190-193.
1988	Shrive NG, Lam TC, Damson E, Frank CB. A new method of measuring the cross-sectional area of connective tissue structures. J Biomech Eng. May 1988;110(2):104-109.
1988	Lee TQ, Woo SL-Y. A new method for determining cross-sectional shape and area of soft tissues. J Biomech Eng. May 1988;110(2):110-114.
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1980	Butler DL, Noyes FR, Grood ES. Ligamentous restraints to anterior-posterior drawer in the human knee: a biomechanical study. J Bone Joint Surg. March 1980;62A(2):259-270.
1996	Leitschuh PH, Doherty TJ, Taylor DC, Brooks DE, Ryan JB. Effects of postmortem freezing on tensile failure properties of rabbit extensor digitorurn longus muscle tendon complex. J Orthop Res. September 1996;14(5):830-833.
1988	Lam T. The Mechanical Properties of the Maturing Medial Collateral Ligament [PhD thesis]. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary; March 1988.
1995	Archambault JM. Clinical Aspects of Overuse Tendon Injury and Experimental Aspects of Tendon Properties [Master's thesis]. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary; April 1995.
1999	Young D. Quantification of Patellar Tendon Biomechanical Properties: In Vitro and in Situ [Master's thesis]. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary; January 1999.
2017	Levine IC. The Effects of Body Composition and Body Configuration on Impact Dynamics During Lateral Falls: Insights from in-Vivo, in-Vitro, and in-Silico Approaches [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2017.