Figure 5.

Representative histologic sections of normal and repaired tendons 1, 3, and 9 days post-operatively. The sections were stained with H&E and viewed with polarized light to assess collagen fiber alignment. White regions indicate fiber alignment along the long axis of the tendon. Dark regions indicate a loss of fiber alignment. Some collagen fiber alignment was lost as early as 1 day post-operatively. Alignment was further disrupted by day 3 and remained steady through day 9. 4× objective, 2 mm scale bar, (N=3-5).