MODEL OF CALF MUSCLE TEAR DURING A SIMULATED ECCENT RlC CONT RACTlON. A FEASABILITY STUDY

Abstract

Tearing of muscle-tendon complex is one of the main causes of sport injuries. The aim of this study was to combine passive stretching and contraction to model the conditions of such injury, using the discrete element method. The mechanical behavior of the muscle-tendon complex was in agreement with data from the literature and data from in vittu experiments by tensile tests on calf muscle-tendon unit. The localization of the rupture and the pattern of rupture show a delamination of muscle's fibers close to the myotendinous junction during an active stretching of the muscle-tendon complex.