Alteration of the material properties of the normal supraspinatus tendon by nicotine treatment in a rat model.

Background And Purpose: Several studies have shown that nicotine has a detrimental effect on the development of rotator cuff tear. However, little is known about its mechanism. We evaluated the effect of nicotine on the maximum tensile load, the maximum tensile stress, and the elastic modulus of the supraspinatus tendon in a rat model.

Elasticity of the supraspinatus tendon-muscle unit is preserved after acute tendon tearing in the rabbit.

Supraspinatus tendon tearing is one of the most common causes of the shoulder pain and dysfunction, which often requires a surgical repair. In this situation, proximal tendon stump is usually retracted medially from its original insertion. For successful reduction of the retracted tendon stump to its original insertion, the elasticity of the tendon-muscle unit should be preserved by the time of surgery.