Ten dissections of inferior limbs and histological studies were performed to describe the structural conformation of the muscular fascia of the leg (crural fascia) and to propose a constitutive model to be adopted for the analysis of its biomechanical behaviour. The crural fascia had a mean thickness of 924 lm and was composed of three layers (mean thickness 277.6 lm) of parallel, collagen fibre bundles separated by a thin layer of loose connective tissue (mean thickness 43 lm). Only a few elastic fibres were highlighted. The disposition of the collagen fibres gives the crural fascia anisotropic characteristics. In addition, their crimped conformation is the cause of the non-linear elastic behaviour of the tissue. Both these aspects are included in the constitutive model. The constitutive modelling of the crural fascia represents a useful tool to rationally interpret the correlation between functional behaviour and structural conformation.

Mechanics of crural fascia: from anatomy to constitutive modelling

STECCO, CARLA;PAVAN, PIERO;PORZIONATO, ANDREA;MACCHI, VERONICA;CARNIEL, EMANUELE LUIGI;NATALI, ARTURO;DE CARO, RAFFAELE
2009

Abstract

Ten dissections of inferior limbs and histological studies were performed to describe the structural conformation of the muscular fascia of the leg (crural fascia) and to propose a constitutive model to be adopted for the analysis of its biomechanical behaviour. The crural fascia had a mean thickness of 924 lm and was composed of three layers (mean thickness 277.6 lm) of parallel, collagen fibre bundles separated by a thin layer of loose connective tissue (mean thickness 43 lm). Only a few elastic fibres were highlighted. The disposition of the collagen fibres gives the crural fascia anisotropic characteristics. In addition, their crimped conformation is the cause of the non-linear elastic behaviour of the tissue. Both these aspects are included in the constitutive model. The constitutive modelling of the crural fascia represents a useful tool to rationally interpret the correlation between functional behaviour and structural conformation.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11577/2484513
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