Biomechanical comparison of shoelace suture technique for repairing calcaneal tendon.

Background: The biomechanical assessment of tendon repair is essential for the evaluation of different tendon suturing techniques. The shoelace suture technique with absorbable Vicryl® is a modified technique of Achilles tendon repair that may have biomechanical advantages depending on the number of threads used and the direction of the suture.

Purpose: To evaluate the creep under constant pre-load, the stiffness, the maximum strength, and the failure mode for three different configurations of the shoelace suture in a bovine tendon biomechanical model.