Tendon biomechanical properties enhance human wrist muscle specialization

Biomechanical properties of human wrist tendons were measured under loads predicted to be experienced by those tendons under physiological conditions. This was accomplished by measuring the architectural properties of the five prime wrist movers--extensors carpi radialis brevis (ECRB), extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL), extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU), flexor carpi radials (FCR), flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU)--and predicting their maximum tension (P0) using a specific tension value (22.5 N cm-2. Loading the corresponding tendons to P0 resulted in significantly different strain among tendons (p < 0.01) with the largest strain observed in the FCU (3.68 +/- 0.31%) and the smallest strain observed in the ECRL (1.78 +/- 0.14%). Further, strain magnitude was significantly positively correlated with the tendon length-to-fiber length ratio of the muscle-tendon unit, a measure of the intrinsic compliance of the muscle-tendon unit. Theoretical modeling of the magnitude of muscle sarcomere shortening expected based on the measured biomechanical properties revealed a maximum sarcomere length decrease of about 0.6 micron for the FCU to a minimum of about 0.2 micron for the ECRB at P0. Thus, tendon compliance may, but does not necessarily, result in significant modification of muscle force generation. The significant variation in tendon biomechanical properties was not observed using traditional elongation-to-failure methods on the same specimens. Thus, the use of elongation-to-failure experiments for determination of tendon properties may not be reasonable when the purpose of such studies is to infer physiological function. These data indicate that muscle-tendon units show remarkable specialization and that tendon intrinsic properties accentuate the muscle architectural specialization already present.