Abstract
Tendons of the body differ dramatically in their function, mechanics and range of motion, but all connect to bone via an enthesis. Effective force transfer at the enthesis enables joint stability and mobility, with strength and stiffness arising from a fibrous architecture. However, how enthesis toughness arises across tendons with diverse loading orientations remains unclear. To study this, we performed simultaneous imaging of the bone and tendon in entheses that represent the range of tendon-to-bone insertions and extended a mathematical model to account for variations in insertion and bone geometry. We tested the hypothesis that toughness, across a range of tendon entheses, could be explained by differences observed in interactions between fiber architecture and bone architecture. In the model, toughness arose from fiber reorientation, recruitment and rupture, mediated by interactions between fibers at the enthesis and the bony ridge abutting it. When applied to tendons sometimes characterized as either energy-storing or positional, the model predicted that entheses of the former prioritize toughness over strength, while those of the latter prioritize consistent stiffness across loading directions. Results provide insight into techniques for surgical repair of tendon-to-bone attachments, and more broadly into mechanisms for the attachment of highly dissimilar materials.
Recommended Citation
M. Golman et al., "Enthesis Strength, Toughness and Stiffness: An Image-Based Model Comparing Tendon Insertions with Varying Bony Attachment Geometries," Journal of the Royal Society Interface, vol. 18, no. 185, article no. 20210421, The Royal Society, Jan 2021.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2021.0421
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
energy-storing tendons; fibrous tissues; positional tendons; tendon enthesis; tendon-to-bone insertion; toughness
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1742-5662; 1742-5689
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2024 The Royal Society, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2021
PubMed ID
34932930
Comments
National Institutes of Health, Grant R01 AR077793