# Assessment of in vivo tendon tissue behavior in a pediatric population

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2021 · $65,994

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Childhood growth and development involves significant changes to many tissues in the body, including
connective soft tissues in the musculoskeletal system, such as tendons and ligaments. While these soft tissue
changes are needed to adapt to major changes in anatomy and biomechanics during the transition from early
childhood to late adolescence, they can complicate clinical interventions in the case of pathologies such as
neuromuscular disorders or orthopedic injuries. In the instance of cerebral palsy (CP), a common neuromuscular
disorder often resulting in altered posture and gait, clinical treatments such as osteotomies, muscle-tendon
lengthening procedures, and tendon-transfers must be designed to accommodate ongoing growth-related
changes in tissue geometry and stiffness. While there are current methods for assessing geometric changes in
tissues during growth, we lack a non-invasive means of directly measuring the stiffness of tendons in individuals,
such as those in these pediatric populations. As such, the objective of this project is two-fold: to develop and
validate a novel, non-invasive tool and a computational model for measuring tendon stiffness in the lab, and to
use this non-invasive tool to characterize age-related changes in tendon stiffness in a pediatric cohort.
Specifically, Aim 1 of this proposal describes the combined use of two unique methods previously developed in
this laboratory to non-invasively assess regional tendon stiffness. This tool will combine a cine ultrasonic
measurement of regional tissue strain and the measurement of shear wave propagation through the tendon,
which can be used to determine tensile tissue stress. Parameters from this testing will be used to drive and
validate a finite element model of individualized tendon biomechanics. Then, in Aim 2, non-invasive techniques
such as those described in Aim 1 will be applied to measure changes in the stiffness of the Achilles tendon in
pediatric and adolescent subjects. Successful completion of these aims will result in the validation of a novel,
non-invasive method for measuring in vivo tendon stiffness in young subjects, and will contribute to an enhanced
understanding of the timing of age- and sex-specific changes in tendon stiffness during childhood and adolescent
growth. These outcomes have the potential to improve predictions from clinical procedures in pediatric
populations suffering from musculoskeletal disorders such as CP and surgical reconstructions for orthopedic
injuries such as ligament and tendon ruptures. In addition, the technical and professional development described
in this training plan will prepare the PI for a successful career in educating STEM students while performing
research in the field of biomechanics with applications in pediatric clinical populations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10146193
- **Project number:** 5F32AR076267-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephanie Grace Cone
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $65,994
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10146193

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10146193, Assessment of in vivo tendon tissue behavior in a pediatric population (5F32AR076267-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10146193. Licensed CC0.

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