Will Lack, MD, PhD, is leading the team at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (HIPRC) to better understand the mechanical and physical properties of rotator cuff and particularly supraspinatus tendon (SST) injuries. These injuries typically occur through application of cyclic load below the threshold necessary to cause acute tears (incremental damage accumulating that exceeds the body’s ability to heal), resulting in decreased mechanical strength and increased risk for frank rupture at lower loads.
He is aiming to understand the SST’s physical and mechanical properties; the cellular, mechanical, and structural response of tendon to fatigue; and techniques allowing for the characterization of tendon health and sub-rupture damage. Work done will contribute to the construction of a materials science-based fatigue model for failure of select tendon structures. This work is supported by the Boeing Company and the HIPRC.