Study of the experimental biomechanics of tendon repair with immediate active mobilization.

The authors present a biomechanical study of tendon behavior after primary suturing and early active mobilization. In this animal study (23 specimens), three types of sutures are compared using 2 biomechanical parameters: the load at rupture (R), and Young's modulus of elasticity (E). The authors show that early mobilization does not compromise the final strength of a tendon. Moreover, early mobilization confers the biomechanical characteristics of resistance and elasticity more closely akin to those of the normal tendon. Pathoanatomical examinations confirm the fibroelastic reaction of cicatrization and the mechanical role of mobilization in the orientation of newly formed tendon fibers.