THE EFFECT OF CHRONIC MUSCLE DISUSE ON ACHILLES TENDON MATERIAL PROPERTIES IN AN AVIAN BIPEDAL MODEL
Open Access
Author:
Mc Paul, Megan Elizabeth
Area of Honors:
Kinesiology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Jonas Rubenson, Thesis Supervisor Jinger S. Gottschall, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
tendon stiffness guinea fowl
Abstract:
Research has been devoted to the effect exercise and disuse has on the material properties of tendons, specifically on stiffness. This research has mostly concerned the period following the growth period, with little research devoted to examining stiffness during the growth period. Previous research has shown that botulinum-toxin-A can be used to create disuse of tendons. When injected during the growth period in rats, no significant difference in tendon stiffness has been viewed when compared to the control group (Eliasson et. al., 2007; Khayyeri et. al., 2017). Because of the little research examining stiffness during the growth period and lack of botulinum-toxin-A used in a bipedal model, this study was performed. Overall, no significant differences were found in tendon stiffness between the control and experimental groups, but a larger pool of animals would have been needed to make any definitive conclusions. The results did not align with my original hypothesis. Despite this, the feasibility of this experiment and human implications with botulinum-toxin-A in the treatment of cerebral palsy allows for multitudes of future research.
