The Dubai International Equine Symposium brought together researchers and practitioners from around the world to discuss soft tissue structures and injuries in the horse (The Horse of May, 1996, page 28). The basic anatomy and physiology of tendons and ligaments is complex. Nathalie Crevier, DVM, of the Clinique Equine-Laboratorie D’Anatomie in France, revealed what has been learned of the microanatomy of tendons and ligaments.

Tendons have a crimped, waveform appearance when seen in longitudinal histologic sections, said Crevier.

"This structural waveform allows the collagen fibers of tendon to be stretched by 3-5% without causing structural damage, since the crimp just unfolds during initial loading," she said. "After this initial elastic phase of tendon elongation comes a stiff, viscoelastic phase during which mechanical damage occurs until rupture at about 8-12% strain."

Studying the angle, length, or how often these crimps or waveforms appear might potentially tell researchers where failure will occur in a tendon or ligament