THE EFFECT OF FREEZING ON BIOMECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CARPAL TUNNEL SUBSYNOVIAL CONNECTIVE TISSUE

Abstract

Biomechanical evaluation of the subsynovial connective tissue (SSCT) provides insight into the causes of carpal tunnel syndrome. Studies of carpal tunnel mechanics have been performed using fresh-frozen cadaver tissue. Freezing can affect mechanical properties of some tissues, but its effect on SSCT is unknown. A total of 16 rabbit paws were harvested from eight New Zealand rabbits and subjected to mechanical testing consisting of three repeated tendon excursions in sets of three different excursion magnitudes. One paw from each animal was unfrozen. The contralateral paw was frozen and thawed before testing. Force, energy and stiffness of the first cycle of each set were evaluated, as were ratios of the second to first cycle for each parameter. Two-factor ANOVA with repeated measures over both factors was performed. No significant interactions between factors were found. There were no significant differences between fresh and frozen paws for any parameters, though there were significant differences between excursion amplitudes. The damage threshold was not different between fresh and frozen paws. This study demonstrated that freezing rabbit subsynovial connective tissue does not significantly change its mechanical properties. The same may be true for human cadaver tissues. Results of cadaver mechanical testing may not be influenced by this preservation technique.