Crimp Parameters definitions. The crimp parameters that were quantified in this study were period, tortuosity, amplitude, waviness, and conformity. The period and conformity were measured manually, while the other parameters were measured semi-automatically using custom-scripts. The leftmost panel shows an idealized collagen fiber crimp to illustrate the measurement of period, amplitude and tortuosity. The middle and right-most panel shows example PLM images presented as in Figure 1. The middle panel shows two collagen bundles, one with large waviness (top) and another with small waviness (bottom). The right-most panel is of a region with multiple bundles to illustrate small and large conformities. Note that this middle panel exemplifies the importance of the high angular resolution of PLM. Individual fibers and their crimp may not be directly discerned, but the orientations derived from PLM show clear evidence of undulations. Recall that the orientation analysis is done pixel by pixel and any organization and structure arise naturally. From these angles it is possible to deduce the crimp characteristics with high detail.