A tissue explant system for assessing tendon overuse injury

Tendon overuse injuries are common athletic and occupational problems. When studying mechanisms that cause these injuries, inherent complexities associated with controlling in vivo loading necessitates alternative approaches such as in vitro organ culture. Current devices for loading explants in organ culture, whether custom-built or commercial, have various deficiencies in their loading capability, control mechanism and strain assessment. To overcome these shortcomings, an advanced tissue loading device with video strain analysis capabilities was developed for investigating overuse injuries and its performance/calibration were evaluated. Two tests were used to assess the ability of the system to create and monitor mechanical changes with overuse. Overuse loading significantly increased strains and decreased strength, showing the ability of this system to create and monitor tissue damage. Furthermore, the device design allows for its use in a standard incubator. Coupled with custom loading and data collection programs, this system is suitable for long-term overuse injury studies.