Armstrong and Mow tested 103 human patellar cartilage specimens using confined compression creep and the biphasic model to ask: what actually drives the mechanical properties of articular cartilage — age, visible degeneration, or tissue composition?
When evaluating cartilage intraoperatively or on biopsy, don't let appearance guide your assessment of mechanical competence — cartilage that looks structurally intact may be water-logged and mechanically soft, while fibrillated cartilage may retain near-normal stiffness.
Water content and biochemical composition (especially proteoglycan) are the meaningful targets; gross or histological appearance alone will mislead you.
Armstrong and Mow tested 103 human patellar cartilage specimens using confined compression creep and the biphasic model to ask: what actually drives the mechanical properties of articular cartilage — age, visible degeneration, or tissue composition?
When evaluating cartilage intraoperatively or on biopsy, don't let appearance guide your assessment of mechanical competence — cartilage that looks structurally intact may be water-logged and mechanically soft, while fibrillated cartilage may retain near-normal stiffness.
Water content and biochemical composition (especially proteoglycan) are the meaningful targets; gross or histological appearance alone will mislead you.