- First-ever detailed map of how the tissue connecting tendons to bone behaves under stress.
- Research reveals why common sports injuries heal poorly and often recur.
- Findings could lead to new treatments and preventive strategies for athletes and active people.
Scientists at the University of Portsmouth have created the first detailed 3D map of how a crucial piece of connective tissue in our bodies responds to the stresses of movement and exercise. This tissue, called calcified fibrocartilage (CFC), acts like a biological shock absorber where tendons attach to bone.
Damage to the CFC tissue - common in sport-related injuries - does not mend well. To improve healing treatments, scientists need to better understand the structure of this tissue and how it reacts to varying types of pressure.
Research by Atousa Moayedi, a PhD student at the University of Portsmouth's School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering , has been able to demonstrate that the centre of the CFC tissue changes shape more than the surrounding areas, when stressed at different angles.
Image shows 3D mapping of how the tissue connecting tendons to bone behaves under stress.
In areas where the microscopic cavities within the tissue (the lacunae) were more densely packed, the distortion was greater. This means that the way the tissue layers are arranged, and how thick they are, strongly influences how stretching (strain) is dispersed where the tendon meets the bone.
The study, published in the Nature journal Communications Materials , is the first to measure how differently tiny regions inside this tissue stretch or deform when forces are applied.
Until now, scientists couldn't see exactly how this tissue behaves when put under pressure, making it nearly impossible to design effective treatments. The research team used high resolution 3D scanning and AI powered image reconstruction to map the way in which CFC tissue behaves under pressure in a mouse model, as well as how and where it might fail. Importantly, they were also able to identify the features that would be important for healing.
Better understanding of how these attachments fail under stress could help prevent common sports injuries. Tennis champion Andy Murray has battled hip tendon problems, England cricket captain Ben Stokes has dealt with recurring knee tendon issues, and footballer Harry Kane has faced ankle tendon injuries that kept him off the pitch.
Atousa said: "Once you know which parts experience the most stress and why, you can design better treatments and implants that actually replicate how the natural attachment works."
Importantly, Atousa's work identifies the way that load is naturally transferred in this region and serves as a model for the repair and regeneration of tissues at this site
Professor Gordon Blunn, School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
Overseeing the study, was Professor Gordon Blunn from the University of Portsmouth's School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences . Professor Blunn said: "The weak link in the way that load is transferred from muscle to the skeleton is where the tendon joins with the bone. After injury this region is slow to heal and difficult to repair. Importantly, Atousa's work identifies the way that load is naturally transferred in this region and serves as a model for the repair and regeneration of tissues at this site."
