Enwemeka C S, Rodriguez O, Mendosa S
Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Miami School of Medicine.
Ultrasound Med Biol. 1990;16(8):801-7. doi: 10.1016/0301-5629(90)90044-d.
The effect of low-intensity ultrasound on the healing strength of tendons was studied in experimentally tenotomized, repaired and immobilized right tendo calcaneus (Achilles tendon) of 24 rabbits. Ten tendons were sonicated in continuous waves at a space-averaged intensity of 0.5 W cm-2 for 5 min every day. The remaining 14 tendons were mock-sonicated as controls. After nine consecutive treatments, the tendons were excised under anesthesia and compared for differences in tensile strength, tensile stress and energy absorption capacity. Sonication at 0.5 W cm-2 induced a significant increase in the tensile strength (p less than .02), tensile stress (p less than .005) and energy absorption capacity (p less than .001) of the tendons. These findings suggest that high-intensity sonication may not be necessary to augment the healing strength of tendons and that sonication at similarly low intensities may enhance the healing process of surgically repaired human tendo calcaneus.
在24只兔子的右侧跟腱（跟腱）进行实验性切断、修复和固定后，研究了低强度超声对肌腱愈合强度的影响。10条肌腱每天以空间平均强度0.5W/cm²的连续波进行超声处理5分钟。其余14条肌腱作为对照进行假超声处理。连续九次治疗后，在麻醉下切除肌腱，比较其拉伸强度、拉伸应力和能量吸收能力的差异。以0.5W/cm²进行超声处理可使肌腱的拉伸强度（p<0.02）、拉伸应力（p<0.005）和能量吸收能力（p<0.001）显著增加。这些发现表明，增强肌腱愈合强度可能无需高强度超声处理，类似的低强度超声处理可能会促进人类手术修复后的跟腱愈合过程。
