Does knee joint cooling change in vivo patellar tendon mechanical properties?

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the influence of knee joint cooling on the in vivo mechanical properties of the patellar tendon.

Methods: Twenty young, healthy women volunteered for the study. B-mode ultrasonography was used to record patellar tendon elongation during isometric ramp contraction of the knee extensors (5-7 s, 90° knee angle) and calculate tendon stiffness.