Biomechanics of

Soft Tissues

What do we mean by soft tissues?

A primary group of tissue which binds, supports
and protects our human body and structures such
as organs is soft connective tissue.

Soft Tissues includes:

Skin
Muscles
Tendons
Ligaments

Common components of soft tissues:

Collagen

Fibers
Elastin Fibers

Collagen and Elastin Fibers

They

have the most important

properties affecting the overall
mechanical properties of soft tissues in
which they exist.
Collagen provides strength and firmness
while elastin provides flexibility.

Collagen and Elastin Fibers

Collagen Fibers
Collagen

is a kind of protein that makes

up nearly 25% of total amount of
proteins in human body.
This abundant protein is responsible for
providing to your tissue structural
support.

Collagen Fibers
Collagen

fibers comparatively higher

elastic modulus and shows viscoeleastic
mechanical properties.
Collagen takes care of the ultimate
strength and finite strain.

Elastin Fibers
Elastin

is a fibrous protein found in

many soft tissues including skin, blood
vessels and lung tissue.
It is a highly elastic material, having
almost linear-elastic properties with a
low Youngs modulus (around 0.6MPa)
and the capacity to endure strains over
50% with good elastic recovery.

Elastin Fibers
Elastin

fibers are highly extensible and

extension is reversible even at high
strain.
Its properties similar to the properties of
rubber.

Skin
Throughout

your body you have about

25 different types of identifiable
collagen, a dozen of them are present in
your skin only.

Skin

Tendons and Ligaments

Tendons
Tendons

are connective tissues

connecting bones to muscles.
Tendons help in executing joint motion
by transmitting mechanical force from
muscle to bones
Tendons have higher modulus of
elasticity to stand higher stresses with
small strain.
They have also higher tensile strength.
Ultimate strain of 0.1 and ultimate
stress at 60 MPa.

Ligaments
Ligaments

are soft tissues connecting

bones to bones.
Ligaments contain a greater properties
of elastics which contribute to their
higher extensibility but lead to lower
strength and stiffness.
Rupture stress of about the 20 MPa,
yield at about 5 MPa, and deform at
0.25.

Tendons and Ligaments

Muscles
Smooth

muscles
Cardiac muscles
Skeletal muscles

Muscles

Smooth Muscle
Smooth

muscle can be found in

intestine, blood vessels, etc. whose
simulation is not under our voluntary
control.

Cardiac Muscle
Another

voluntary muscle which controls

the beating of the heart.

Skeletal Muscle
Skeletal

muscle is a involuntary muscle.

Attached to bone via tendons which
causes bone to move.
You have 640 skeletal muscles in your
body.

Structure of Skeletal Muscle

Muscle Contraction
Isometric

Contraction
Concentric Contraction
Eccentric Contraction

Muscle Contraction

Muscle Contraction

Muscle Contraction
The

result of muscle contraction is

always tension. Hence, a muscle only
exert a pull and it cannot exert a push.

Agonist and Antagonist

A

muscle called agonist if it causes

movement through concentric
contraction.
An antagonist muscle controls the
movement by eccentric contraction.

Agonist and Antagonist