Fig. 2.

Representative stress-strain responses of TA tendons from adult (A) and old (B) mice undergoing a 10% grip-to-grip strain load-unload cycle. In both age groups, tendon mechanical response is regionally dependent, with distal region showing greater stresses and lower strains than central and proximal regions. Also, overall tendon response (○) differs significantly from any of the regional responses. Maximum strains in central and proximal tendon regions diminish in old age, leading to a stiffer tendon overall.