Raman spectroscopy of soft musculoskeletal tissues
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Non-contact, Label-free Monitoring of Cells and Extracellular Matrix using Raman Spectroscopy
Published on: May 29, 2012
1Department of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology Division, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA.
Abstract:
Tendon, ligament, and joint tissues are important in maintaining daily function. They can be affected by disease, age, and injury. Slow tissue turnover, hierarchical structure and function, and nonlinear mechanical properties present challenges to diagnosing and treating soft musculoskeletal tissues. Understanding these tissues in health, disease, and injury is important to improving pharmacologic and surgical repair outcomes. Raman spectroscopy is an important tool in the examination of soft musculoskeletal tissues. This article highlights exciting basic science and clinical/translational Raman studies of cartilage, tendon, and ligament.
Related Concept Videos
Raman Spectroscopy: Overview
However, a small fraction of the scattered light exhibits a frequency shift due to the exchange of energy between the incident photons and...
Raman Spectroscopy Instrumentation: Overview
The monochromatic laser source, typically using visible or near-infrared radiation, generates a highly focused beam of light. This light interacts with the molecules of the sample, scattering some of the light. Liquid and gaseous samples are usually tested in ordinary glass capillaries, while solids can be analyzed as powders packed in capillaries or as potassium...
Relaxation of Skeletal Muscles
When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it depolarizes the membrane and opens voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium ions enter the cell, further depolarizing the presynaptic membrane. This depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open....
IR Spectroscopy: Hooke's Law Approximation of Molecular Vibration
According to Hooke's law, the vibrational frequency is directly proportional to...
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles
The muscle sarcolemma is a plasma membrane enclosing each muscle cell that conducts electrical signals called action potentials. The sarcolemma extends into the cell to form T-tubules, ensuring the neural impulses are uniformly distributed across the entire muscle...
Gross Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles

