Investigating Achilles tendon adaptation to mechanical load: a computational model integrating collagen fibre orientation heterogeneity.

ABSTRACT: Tendons are known to adapt their structural and mechanical properties in response to mechanical loading, but the precise mechanisms underlying this adaptation remain poorly understood. A previous study on rat Achilles tendons compared the effect of unloading (Botox injections and orthosis) with free cage activity (full loading) and revealed that unloading impaired the mechanical response and resulted in more dispersed collagen fibre orientations. The current study investigates tendon mechanobiology by integrating this experimental fibre data into a finite element model. The aim is to evaluate whether the altered mechanical response after unloading results from changes in collagen fibre orientation, tendon geometry, or material properties. Collagen fibre orientation analysis was performed b

SUBMITTER: Janssen R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12618352 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature