QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ker, R. F. Articles by Pike, A. V. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ker, R. F. Articles by Pike, A. V.

Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 203, Issue 8 1317-1327, Copyright © 2000 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Fatigue quality of mammalian tendons

RF Ker, XT Wang and AV Pike
School of Biology, The University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. r.f.ker@leeds.ac.uk

When excised tendons are subjected to a prolonged load, whether constant or oscillatory, fatigue damage accumulates, leading eventually to rupture. 'Fatigue quality', assessed by the time-to-rupture under a given stress, was found to vary hugely among the tendons of a wallaby hind limb. This material property correlates with the varied stresses to which tendons from different anatomical sites are exposed in life. The correlation was demonstrated by subjecting each excised tendon to a load equal to the maximum isometric force that its muscle could have developed. The time-to-rupture was then approximately the same for each tendon, on average 4.2 h. A model is introduced in which damage is proposed as the trigger for adaptation of fatigue quality. The model aims, in particular, to explain why low-stressed tendons are not made of a 'better' material, although this clearly exists since it is used in high-stressed tendons. The principle of design to a minimum quality is viable in biology because of the availability of self-repair to balance routine damage. Clinical symptoms, to be included under the general heading of 'overuse injuries', will only arise when this balance fails.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. Kasashima, T. Takahashi, H. L. Birch, R. K. W. Smith, and A. E. Goodship Can exercise modulate the maturation of functionally different immature tendons in the horse? J Appl Physiol, February 1, 2008; 104(2): 416 - 422. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. A. Lichtwark and A. M. Wilson In vivo mechanical properties of the human Achilles tendon during one-legged hopping J. Exp. Biol., December 15, 2005; 208(24): 4715 - 4725. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. A. Biewener Biomechanical consequences of scaling J. Exp. Biol., May 1, 2005; 208(9): 1665 - 1676. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. P. McGowan, R. V. Baudinette, and A. A. Biewener Joint work and power associated with acceleration and deceleration in tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii) J. Exp. Biol., January 1, 2005; 208(1): 41 - 53. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. KJAeR Role of Extracellular Matrix in Adaptation of Tendon and Skeletal Muscle to Mechanical Loading Physiol Rev, April 1, 2004; 84(2): 649 - 698. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Tanaka, J. Aoyama, M. Tanaka, H. Murata, T. Hamada, and K. Tanne Dynamic Properties of Bovine Temporomandibular Joint Disks Change with Age J. Dent. Res., September 1, 2002; 81(9): 618 - 622. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Pike, R. Ker, and R. Alexander The development of fatigue quality in high- and low-stressed tendons of sheep (Ovis aries) J. Exp. Biol., January 7, 2000; 203(14): 2187 - 2193. [Abstract] [PDF]