title: Mechanics of crural fascia: from anatomy to constitutive modelling.
abstract: Ten dissections of inferior limbs and histological studies were performed to describe the structural conformation of the muscular fascia of the leg (crural fascia) and to propose a constitutive model to be adopted for the analysis of its biomechanical behaviour. The crural fascia had a mean thickness of 924 microm and was composed of three layers (mean thickness 277.6 microm) of parallel, collagen fibre bundles separated by a thin layer of loose connective tissue (mean thickness 43 microm). Only a few elastic fibres were highlighted. The disposition of the collagen fibres gives the crural fascia anisotropic characteristics. In addition, their crimped conformation is the cause of the non-linear elastic behaviour of the tissue. Both these aspects are included in the constitutive model. The constitutive modelling of the crural fascia represents a useful tool to rationally interpret the correlation between functional behaviour and structural conformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, University of Padova, Via A Gabelli 65, Padua,, Italy.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stecco
authors.forename: Piero G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Pavan
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Porzionato
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Macchi
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lancerotto
authors.forename: Emanuele L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Carniel
authors.forename: Arturo N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Natali
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Caro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005205:Fascia / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008297:Male