Biomechanical evaluation of muscle-tendon unit rehabilitation following treatment in patellar tendinopathy patients by combined DTI and MRE

Motivation: Patellar tendinopathy (PT) affects the entire quadriceps muscle-tendon unit, yet biomechanical changes within specific muscles remain unclear. This study investigates how PT alters the structure and function of rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles to improve treatment assessment. Goal(s): To evaluate changes in biomechanical properties of the RF/VL muscles and their relationship to patellar tendon morphology before and after treatment. Approach: Using MRE with a new anisotropic inversion method, we measured stiffness changes in these muscles at baseline and 6 months post-treatment. Results: Post-treatment, muscle stiffness increased and tendon dimensions decreased, indicating functional recovery and unique sensitivity of the anisotropic approach. Impact: The new anisotropic MRE method showed unique sensitivity to subtle structural changes in quadriceps muscles of patellar tendinopathy patients. The anisotropic biomechanical properties may aid in diagnosing tendinopathy and assessing the muscle-tendon unit rehabilitation following treatment.