Low stress tendon XXXX is a relatively rapid process in the context of overuse injuries.

@entity35 @entity924 @entity1295 @entity397
To stimulate healing and prevent @entity924 through optimized physical exercise, it is important to elucidate the tendon response to repetitive mechanical loading. However, the study of this response is challenging due to complex cell-matrix interactions. In an initial approximation, the authors examined tendon mechanical response only, and did not consider cellular activity. The authors investigated the hypothesis that mechanical degradation occurs relatively rapidly (< 24 h) even at very low stress levels. The authors subjected @entity35 tail tendons to mechanical loadings oscillating between 0 and 1.5 MPa up to one of three @entity1295 levels: 4% strain, 8% strain, or @entity397 . Using non-destructive mechanical tests, changes in tendon strain and compliance over the entire @entity1295 testing period were evaluated. Using microscopy techniques, the structural evidence of mechanical degradation was examined. The changes in tendon strain and compliance progressed nonlinearly and accelerated before @entity397 which took place around the 15-h mark. Histological analyses revealed a higher degree of alteration in the collagen network at increased @entity1295 levels. At @entity397 , local zones of damage with low fibril density were evident. These results imply that a repair process must act rapidly at critical sites; otherwise, enzymatic degradation could cause further damage in the manner of a vicious cycle.
