Tendon

Rebuilding knees with kangaroo tissue is one step, or hop, closer to being a reality, with human trials set to get under way in 2024. Their tendons are six times stronger than our own and are more sustainable and durable than current surgery options.

A torn meniscus, the cartilage in the knee, is a common sports injury, and unfortunately it doesn’t heal well. But researchers in Japan have now identified a hormone that helps repair the cartilage after a surgical treatment.

A new slug-inspired biomaterial improves tendon healing, with one sticky side and a low-friction outer surface that keeps it gliding against other tissues. Better yet, they can be loaded with slow-release drugs to reduce scarring and inflammation.

A new study has explored the potential of piezoelectric devices, which turn motion into electricity, to treat damaged tendons and found they can act as a "switch" to turn on highly targeted regenerative processes.

​Whether someone is recovering from a tendon injury, or they have an abnormality that makes walking difficult, it can be useful for their doctor to know how much tension their tendons experience when placed under load. A new non-invasive device is designed to provide that information.

Surgery is sometimes required for torn rotator cuffs, although the weakened tendons will frequently just tear again after the operation. Now, however, scientists have developed a method of regenerating rotator cuff tendons, using a polymer mesh seeded with stem cells.

If you follow sports at all, then you've probably heard about athletes rupturing their ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament. Now, scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois are creating a man-made replacement ACL, which could make treatment much more effective.