The tensile stress-strain behavior of ligaments and tendons begins with a toe region that is believed to result from the straightening of crimped collagen fibrils. The in situ mechanical function is mostly confined to this toe region and changes in crimp morphology are believed to be associated with pathological conditions. A relatively new imaging technique, optical coherence tomography (OCT), provides a comparatively inexpensive method for nondestructive investigation of tissue ultrastructure with resolution on the order of 15 μm and the potential for use in a clinical setting. The objectives of this work were to assess the utility of OCT for visualizing crimp period, and to use OCT to determine how crimp period changed as a function of applied tensile strain in rat tail tendon fascicles. Fascicles from rat tail tendons were subjected to 0.5 percent strain increments up to 5 percent and imaged at each increment using OCT. A comparison between OCT images and optical microscopy images taken between crossed polarizing lenses showed a visual correspondence between features indicative of crimp pattern. Crimp pattern always disappeared completely before 3 percent axial strain was reached. Average crimp period increased as strain increased, but both elongation and shortening occurred within single crimp periods during the application of increasing strain to the fascicle.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
February 2002
Technical Papers
Recruitment of Tendon Crimp With Applied Tensile Strain
Kristi A. Hansen,
Kristi A. Hansen
Biomedical Engineering Program, The University of Arizona, 1230 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721
Search for other works by this author on:
Jeffrey A. Weiss,
Jeffrey A. Weiss
Department of Bioengineering, The University of Utah, 50 S Central Campus Dr #2480, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Search for other works by this author on:
Jennifer K. Barton
Jennifer K. Barton
Biomedical Engineering Program, The University of Arizona, 1230 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721
Search for other works by this author on:
Kristi A. Hansen
Biomedical Engineering Program, The University of Arizona, 1230 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721
Jeffrey A. Weiss
Department of Bioengineering, The University of Utah, 50 S Central Campus Dr #2480, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Jennifer K. Barton
Biomedical Engineering Program, The University of Arizona, 1230 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721
Contributed by the Bioengineering Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICAL ENGINEERING. Manuscript received by the Bioengineering Division August 17, 2000; revised manuscript received August 16, 2001. Associate Editor: L. J. Soslowsky.
J Biomech Eng. Feb 2002, 124(1): 72-77 (6 pages)
Published Online: August 16, 2001
Article history
Received:
August 17, 2000
Revised:
August 16, 2001
Citation
Hansen , K. A., Weiss , J. A., and Barton, J. K. (August 16, 2001). "Recruitment of Tendon Crimp With Applied Tensile Strain ." ASME. J Biomech Eng. February 2002; 124(1): 72–77. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1427698
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Analysis of Transient Cutting Forces in Cortical Bone During Ultrasonically Assisted Cutting
J Biomech Eng (June 2025)
Related Articles
Thermomechanical Analysis of Soft-Tissue Thermotherapy
J Biomech Eng (October,2003)
Application of a Probabilistic Microstructural Model to Determine Reference Length and Toe-to-Linear Region Transition in Fibrous Connective Tissue
J Biomech Eng (June,2003)
Time-Dependent Mechanical Behavior of Sheep Digital Tendons, Including the Effects of Preconditioning
J Biomech Eng (February,2002)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Introduction and Scope
High Frequency Piezo-Composite Micromachined Ultrasound Transducer Array Technology for Biomedical Imaging
Experimental Studies
Nanoparticles and Brain Tumor Treatment
Introduction
Ultrasonic Methods for Measurement of Small Motion and Deformation of Biological Tissues for Assessment of Viscoelasticity