Achilles healed?

News

A researcher at Manchester University has developed a new material that could help speed up the process of treating injuries to tendons.

Tendon injuries are some of the most common and frustrating injuries for an athlete - often forcing them to stay away from the sports field for up to eight weeks.

But now the pioneering research of a Manchester University student could be about to speed up the recovery process.

Lucy Bosworth, from the university's School of Materials, has developed a way of spinning biodegradable nanofibres into a 'fabric' that could be surgically grafted onto the site of an injury, where it encourages the injured tendon to grow and repair, before safely degrading.

And that, researchers believe, would dramatically decrease the time needed for a tendon to heal.

Currently, patients face the choice of having a tendon from another part of the body surgically grafted onto the injury site or completely resting the injured area for a significant period of time.

Grafting a tendon from another part of the body creates a second site in the body that needs to heal, and the alternative of enforced rest for a number of weeks can be unpopular, especially for those who are committed to their sport.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address