Mechano-acoustic determination of Young's modulus of articular cartilage

The compressive stiffness of an elastic material is traditionally characterized by its Young's modulus. Young's modulus of articular cartilage can be directly measured using unconfined compression geometry by assuming the cartilage to be homogeneous and isotropic. In isotropic materials, Young's modulus can also be determined acoustically by the measurement of sound speed and density of the material. In the present study, acoustic and mechanical techniques, feasible for in vivo measurements, were investigated to quantify the static and dynamic compressive stiffness of bovine articular cartilage in situ. Ultrasound reflection from the cartilage surface, as well as the dynamic modulus were determined with the recently developed ultrasound indentation instrument and compared with the reference mechanical and ultrasound speed measurements in unconfined compression (n=72). In addition, the applicability of manual creep measurements with the ultrasound indentation instrument was evaluated both experimentally and numerically. Our experimental results indicated that the sound speed could predict 47% and 53% of the variation in the Young's modulus and dynamic modulus of cartilage, respectively. The dynamic modulus, as determined manually with the ultrasound indentation instrument, showed significant linear correlations with the reference Young's modulus (r(2)=0.445, p<0.01, n=70) and dynamic modulus (r(2)=0.779, p<0.01, n=70) of the cartilage. Numerical analyses indicated that the creep measurements, conducted manually with the ultrasound indentation instrument, were sensitive to changes in Young's modulus and permeability of the tissue, and were significantly influenced by the tissue thickness. We conclude that acoustic parameters, i.e. ultrasound speed and reflection, are indicative to the intrinsic mechanical properties of the articular cartilage. Ultrasound indentation instrument, when further developed, provides an applicable tool for the in vivo detection of cartilage mechano-acoustic properties. These techniques could promote the diagnostics of osteoarthrosis.     

Wideband MRE and static mechanical indentation of human liver specimen: Sensitivity of viscoelastic constants to the alteration of tissue structure in hepatic fibrosis

Despite the success of elastography in grading hepatic fibrosis by stiffness related noninvasive markers the relationship between viscoelastic constants in the liver and tissue structure remains unclear. We therefore studied the mechanical properties of 16 human liver specimens with different degrees of fibrosis, inflammation and steatosis by wideband magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and static indentation experiments providing the specimens? static Young?s modulus (E), dynamic storage modulus (G′) and dynamic loss modulus (G″). A frequency-independent shear modulus μ and a powerlaw exponent α were obtained by fitting G′ and G″ using the two-parameter sprinpot model. The mechanical parameters were compared to the specimens? histology derived parameters such as degree of Fibrosis (F), inflammation score and fat score, amount of hydroxyproline (HYP) used for quantification of collagen, blood markers and presurgery in vivo function tests.     

An inverse finite-element model of heel-pad indentation

A numerical-experimental approach has been developed to characterize heel-pad deformation at the material level. Left and right heels of 20 diabetic subjects and 20 nondiabetic subjects matched for age, gender and body mass index were indented using force-controlled ultrasound. Initial tissue thickness and deformation were measured using M-mode ultrasound; indentation forces were recorded simultaneously. An inverse finite-element analysis of the indentation protocol using axisymmetric models adjusted to reflect individual heel thickness was used to extract nonlinear material properties describing the hyperelastic behavior of each heel. Student's t-tests revealed that heel pads of diabetic subjects were not significantly different in initial thickness nor were they stiffer than those from nondiabetic subjects. Another heel-pad model with anatomically realistic surface representations of the calcaneus and soft tissue was developed to estimate peak pressure prediction errors when average rather than individualized material properties were used. Root-mean-square errors of up to 7% were calculated, indicating the importance of subject-specific modeling of the nonlinear elastic behavior of the heel pad. Indentation systems combined with the presented numerical approach can provide this information for further analysis of patient-specific foot pathologies and therapeutic footwear designs.     

Age-Related Changes in the Mechanical Properties of Human Fibroblasts and Its Prospective Reversal After Anti-Wrinkle Tripeptide Treatment

One of an essential characteristic of human skin are time dependent mechanical properties. Here, we demonstrate that stiffness of human dermal fibroblast correlates with age and it can be restored after anti-wrinkle tripeptide treatment. The stiffness of human fibroblasts isolated from donors of 30-, 40- and 60 years old were examined. Additionally the effect of anti- wrinkle tripeptide of latter cells was investigated. The atomic force microscopy measurements were performed on untreated fibroblast as well as on treated with the peptide. The Young’s modulus for two indentation depths 200 and 600 nm of each cell type was determined. The Young’s modulus increases with age of the cells. The highest values of Young’s modulus were obtained for fibroblasts collected from 60 years old donors, for indentation depth of ~200 nm. For larger indentation depth of 600 nm there are no significant differences in stiffness between cells. Fibroblasts treated with the anti-wrinkle tripeptide exhibit lower Young’s modulus. The cells derived from 40- and 60-years old donors restored stiffness characteristic to the level of 30 years old subjects. The results show correlation between stiffness and age of the human fibroblast as well as impact of anti-wrinkle tripeptide on the mechanical properties of skin cells.     

Spatial-dependent mechanical properties of the heel pad by shear wave elastography

The heel pad plays an important role in gait, and its biomechanical behavior and functionality are determined by its specialized architecture and mechanical properties. The purpose of this study was to apply supersonic shear wave elastography, an ultrasound-based noninvasive modality that can quantitatively estimate the shear stiffness of the tissue, to investigate the spatial-dependent mechanical properties of the heel pad. Measurements were conducted in 40 heel pads of 20 normal participants aged between 20 and 30 years by shear wave elastography. The continuous change in local shear stiffness of the heel pad along the depth direction of the heel pad was measured. The result showed that the mechanical properties of the heel pad were highly heterogeneous but followed a simple and specific pattern that local heel pad shear stiffness was highest beneath the plantar skin and decreased continuously with increasing depth. This finding provides a better understanding of the heel pad biomechanics and basis for further investigation of the heterogeneous properties of the heel pad.     

Fast tool for evaluation of iliac crest tissue elastic properties using the reduced-basis methods

Computationally expensive finite element (FE) methods are generally used for indirect evaluation of tissue mechanical properties of trabecular specimens, which is vital for fracture risk prediction in the elderly. This work presents the application of reduced-basis (RB) methods for rapid evaluation of simulation results. Three cylindrical transiliac crest specimens (diameter: 7.5 mm, length: 10-12 mm) were obtained from healthy subjects (20 year-old, 22 year-old, and 24 year-old females) and scanned using microcomputed tomography imaging. Cubic samples of dimensions 5×5×5 mm(3) were extracted from the core of the cylindrical specimens for FE analysis. Subsequently, a FE solution library (test space) was constructed for each of the specimens by varying the material property parameters: tissue elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio, to develop RB algorithms. The computational speed gain obtained by the RB methods and their accuracy relative to the FE analysis were evaluated. Speed gains greater than 4000 times, were obtained for all three specimens for a loss in accuracy of less than 1% in the maxima of von-Mises stress with respect to the FE-based value. The computational time decreased from more than 6 h to less than 18 s. RB algorithms can be successfully utilized for real-time reliable evaluation of trabecular bone elastic properties.     

Cervical and axioscapular muscle stiffness measured with shear wave elastography: A comparison between different levels of work-related neck disability

Assessing muscle mechanical properties in terms of stiffness may provide important insights into mechanisms underlying work-related neck pain. This study compared stiffness of cervical and axioscapular muscles between 92 participants (sonographers) with no (n = 31), mild (n = 43) or moderate/severe (n = 18) neck disability. It was hypothesized that participants with more severe neck pain and disability would present with altered distribution of stiffness in cervical and axioscapular muscles than those with no disability. Using shear wave elastography, the shear modulus (kPa) of five cervical and six axioscapular muscles or muscle segments were measured in a relaxed seated upright or side-lying position. Muscle activity was measured simultaneously using surface electromyography during the elastography measurements and scapular depression was measured using a measurement tape and inclinometer before the elastography measurements to evaluate their potential confounding influences on shear modulus. Increased shear modulus was found in deeper than superficial cervical muscles and more cranial than caudal axioscapular muscles. However, no differences in shear modulus of the cervical or axioscapular muscles were found between sonographers with varying levels of disability. This study suggests no alterations in stiffness of cervical and axioscapular muscles were associated with work-related neck pain and disability.     

Micro-Mechanical Characterization of Lung Tissue Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Matrix stiffness strongly influences growth, differentiation and function of adherent cells^1-3. On the macro scale the stiffness of tissues and organs within the human body span several orders of magnitude⁴. Much less is known about how stiffness varies spatially within tissues, and what the scope and spatial scale of stiffness changes are in disease processes that result in tissue remodeling. To better understand how changes in matrix stiffness contribute to cellular physiology in health and disease, measurements of tissue stiffness obtained at a spatial scale relevant to resident cells are needed. This is particularly true for the lung, a highly compliant and elastic tissue in which matrix remodeling is a prominent feature in diseases such as asthma, emphysema, hypertension and fibrosis. To characterize the local mechanical environment of lung parenchyma at a spatial scale relevant to resident cells, we have developed methods to directly measure the local elastic properties of fresh murine lung tissue using atomic force microscopy (AFM) microindentation. With appropriate choice of AFM indentor, cantilever, and indentation depth, these methods allow measurements of local tissue shear modulus in parallel with phase contrast and fluorescence imaging of the region of interest. Systematic sampling of tissue strips provides maps of tissue mechanical properties that reveal local spatial variations in shear modulus. Correlations between mechanical properties and underlying anatomical and pathological features illustrate how stiffness varies with matrix deposition in fibrosis. These methods can be extended to other soft tissues and disease processes to reveal how local tissue mechanical properties vary across space and disease progression.     

Postfailure modulus strongly affects microcracking and mechanical property change in human iliac cancellous bone: a study using a 2D nonlinear finite element method

A two-dimensional (2D) finite element (FE) method was used to estimate the ability of bone tissue to sustain damage as a function of postfailure modulus. Briefly, 2D nonlinear compact-tension FE models were created from quantitative back-scattered electron images taken of human iliac crest bone specimens. The effects of different postfailure moduli on predicted microcrack propagation were examined. The 2D FE models were used as surrogates for real bone tissues. The crack number was larger in models with higher postfailure modulus, while mean crack length and area were smaller in these models. The rate of stiffness reduction was greater in the models with lower postfailure modulus. Hence, the current results supported the hypothesis that hard tissue postfailure properties have strong effects on bone microdamage morphology and the rate of change in apparent mechanical properties.     

Unconfined compression of articular cartilage: nonlinear behavior and comparison with a fibril-reinforced biphasic model

Mechanical behavior of articular cartilage was characterized in unconfined compression to delineate regimes of linear and nonlinear behavior, to investigate the ability of a fibril-reinforced biphasic model to describe measurements, and to test the prediction of biphasic and poroelastic models that tissue dimensions alter tissue stiffness through a specific scaling law for time and frequency. Disks of full-thickness adult articular cartilage from bovine humeral heads were subjected to successive applications of small-amplitude ramp compressions cumulating to a 10 percent compression offset where a series of sinusoidal and ramp compression and ramp release displacements were superposed. We found all equilibrium behavior (up to 10 percent axial compression offset) to be linear, while most nonequilibrium behavior was nonlinear, with the exception of small-amplitude ramp compressions applied from the same compression offset. Observed nonlinear behavior included compression-offset-dependent stiffening of the transient response to ramp compression, nonlinear maintenance of compressive stress during release from a prescribed offset, and a nonlinear reduction in dynamic stiffness with increasing amplitudes of sinusoidal compression. The fibril-reinforced biphasic model was able to describe stress relaxation response to ramp compression, including the high ratio of peak to equilibrium load. However, compression offset-dependent stiffening appeared to suggest strain-dependent parameters involving strain-dependent fibril network stiffness and strain-dependent hydraulic permeability. Finally, testing of disks of different diameters and rescaling of the frequency according to the rule prescribed by current biphasic and poroelastic models (rescaling with respect to the sample's radius squared) reasonably confirmed the validity of that scaling rule. The overall results of this study support several aspects of current theoretical models of articular cartilage mechanical behavior, motivate further experimental characterization, and suggest the inclusion of specific nonlinear behaviors to models.     

Validation and application of an intervertebral disc finite element model utilizing independently constructed tissue-level constitutive formulations that are nonlinear,anisotropic, and time-dependent

Finite element (FE) models are advantageous in the study of intervertebral disc mechanics as the stress–strain distributions can be determined throughout the tissue and the applied loading and material properties can be controlled and modified. However, the complicated nature of the disc presents a challenge in developing an accurate and predictive disc model, which has led to limitations in FE geometry, material constitutive models and properties, and model validation. The objective of this study was to develop a new FE model of the intervertebral disc, to validate the model?s nonlinear and time-dependent responses without tuning or calibration, and to evaluate the effect of changes in nucleus pulposus (NP), cartilaginous endplate (CEP), and annulus fibrosus (AF) material properties on the disc mechanical response. The new FE disc model utilized an analytically-based geometry. The model was created from the mean shape of human L4/L5 discs, measured from high-resolution 3D MR images and averaged using signed distance functions. Structural hyperelastic constitutive models were used in conjunction with biphasic-swelling theory to obtain material properties from recent tissue tests in confined compression and uniaxial tension. The FE disc model predictions fit within the experimental range (mean±95% confidence interval) of the disc?s nonlinear response for compressive slow loading ramp, creep, and stress-relaxation simulations. Changes in NP and CEP properties affected the neutral-zone displacement but had little effect on the final stiffness during slow-ramp compression loading. These results highlight the need to validate FE models using the disc?s full nonlinear response in multiple loading scenarios.     

Validity of Measurement of Shear Modulus by Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography in Human Pennate Muscle

Ultrasound shear wave elastography is becoming a valuable tool for measuring mechanical properties of individual muscles. Since ultrasound shear wave elastography measures shear modulus along the principal axis of the probe (i.e., along the transverse axis of the imaging plane), the measured shear modulus most accurately represents the mechanical property of the muscle along the fascicle direction when the probe’s principal axis is parallel to the fascicle direction in the plane of the ultrasound image. However, it is unclear how the measured shear modulus is affected by the probe angle relative to the fascicle direction in the same plane. The purpose of the present study was therefore to examine whether the angle between the principal axis of the probe and the fascicle direction in the same plane affects the measured shear modulus. Shear modulus in seven specially-designed tissue-mimicking phantoms, and in eleven human in-vivo biceps brachii and medial gastrocnemius were determined by using ultrasound shear wave elastography. The probe was positioned parallel or 20° obliquely to the fascicle across the B-mode images. The reproducibility of shear modulus measurements was high for both parallel and oblique conditions. Although there was a significant effect of the probe angle relative to the fascicle on the shear modulus in human experiment, the magnitude was negligibly small. These findings indicate that the ultrasound shear wave elastography is a valid tool for evaluating the mechanical property of pennate muscles along the fascicle direction.     

Measurement of the dynamic shear modulus of mouse brain tissue in vivo by magnetic resonance elastography

In this study, the magnetic resonance (MR) elastography technique was used to estimate the dynamic shear modulus of mouse brain tissue in vivo. The technique allows visualization and measurement of mechanical shear waves excited by lateral vibration of the skull. Quantitative measurements of displacement in three dimensions during vibration at 1200 Hz were obtained by applying oscillatory magnetic field gradients at the same frequency during a MR imaging sequence. Contrast in the resulting phase images of the mouse brain is proportional to displacement. To obtain estimates of shear modulus, measured displacement fields were fitted to the shear wave equation. Validation of the procedure was performed on gel characterized by independent rheometry tests and on data from finite element simulations. Brain tissue is, in reality, viscoelastic and nonlinear. The current estimates of dynamic shear modulus are strictly relevant only to small oscillations at a specific frequency, but these estimates may be obtained at high frequencies (and thus high deformation rates), noninvasively throughout the brain. These data complement measurements of nonlinear viscoelastic properties obtained by others at slower rates, either ex vivo or invasively.     

Influence of odd and even number of Stone–Wales defects on the fracture behaviour of an armchair single-walled carbon nanotube under axial and torsional strain

Using Brenner's bond-order potential to represent the interaction of the in-plane C–C bond, an armchair (8,8) single-walled carbon nanotube is investigated by molecular dynamics simulation under axial loading and twist, both for perfect and imperfect lattices introducing an increasing number of Stone–Wales (SW) defects. The Young modulus, shear modulus, tensile strength, shear strength, ductility, stiffness and toughness are computed. All the mechanical characteristics are found to change appreciably by the inclusion of SW defects. Two distinct patterns of fracture mode are observed with odd and even numbers of defects. A clear evidence of the defect–defect interaction is observed when more than one defect is included.     

Magnetic resonance elastography in nonlinear viscoelastic materials under load

Characterisation of soft tissue mechanical properties is a topic of increasing interest in translational and clinical research. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has been used in this context to assess the mechanical properties of tissues in vivo noninvasively. Typically, these analyses rely on linear viscoelastic wave equations to assess material properties from measured wave dynamics. However, deformations that occur in some tissues (e.g. liver during respiration, heart during the cardiac cycle, or external compression during a breast exam) can yield loading bias, complicating the interpretation of tissue stiffness from MRE measurements. In this paper, it is shown how combined knowledge of a material’s rheology and loading state can be used to eliminate loading bias and enable interpretation of intrinsic (unloaded) stiffness properties. Equations are derived utilising perturbation theory and Cauchy’s equations of motion to demonstrate the impact of loading state on periodic steady-state wave behaviour in nonlinear viscoelastic materials. These equations demonstrate how loading bias yields apparent material stiffening, softening and anisotropy. MRE sensitivity to deformation is demonstrated in an experimental phantom, showing a loading bias of up to twofold. From an unbiased stiffness of \(4910.4 \pm 635.8\) Pa in unloaded state, the biased stiffness increases to 9767.5 \(\pm \,\)1949.9 Pa under a load of \(\approx \) 34% uniaxial compression. Integrating knowledge of phantom loading and rheology into a novel MRE reconstruction, it is shown that it is possible to characterise intrinsic material characteristics, eliminating the loading bias from MRE data. The framework introduced and demonstrated in phantoms illustrates a pathway that can be translated and applied to MRE in complex deforming tissues. This would contribute to a better assessment of material properties in soft tissues employing elastography.

     

Determination of Poisson's ratio of articular cartilage by indentation using different-sized indenters

Articular cartilage is often characterized as an isotropic elastic material with no interstitial fluid flow during instantaneous and equilibrium conditions, and indentation testing commonly used to deduce material properties of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. Since only one elastic parameter can be deduced from a single indentation test, some other test method is often used to allow separate measurement of both parameters. In this study, a new method is introduced by which the two material parameters can be obtained using indentation tests alone, without requiring a secondary different type of test. This feature makes the method more suitable for testing small samples in situ. The method takes advantages of the finite layer effect. By indenting the sample twice with different-sized indenters, a nonlinear equation with the Poisson's ratio as the only unknown can be formed and Poisson's ratio obtained by solving the nonlinear equation. The method was validated by comparing the predicted Poisson's ratio for urethane rubber with the manufacturer's supplied value, and comparing the predicted Young's modulus for urethane rubber and an elastic foam material with modulii measured by unconfined compression. Anisotropic and nonhomogeneous finite-element (FE) models of the indentation were developed to aid in data interpretation. Applying the method to bovine patellar cartilage, the tissue Young's modulus was found to be 1.79 +/- 0.59 MPa in instantaneous response and 0.45 +/- 0.26 MPa in equilibrium, and the Poisson's ratio 0.503 +/- 0.028 and 0.463 +/- 0.073 in instantaneous and equilibrium, respectively. The equilibrium Poisson's ratio obtained in our work was substantially higher than those derived from biphasic indentation theory and those optically measured in an unconfined compression test. The finite element model results and examination of viscoelastic-biphasic models suggest this could be due to viscoelastic, inhomogeneity, and anisotropy effects.     

An in situ calibration of an ultrasound transducer: a potential application for an ultrasonic indentation test of articular cartilage

A change in mechanical properties of articular cartilage would be considered one of the most reliable signs of cartilage degeneration. While an indentation method has the potential to measure the cartilage properties in vivo, an accurate measurement of cartilage thickness in situ is technically difficult. An ultrasound transducer has often been used to measure the cartilage thickness. However, its accuracy is limited by the lack of an accurate measurement of the ultrasound speed of cartilage, for the ultrasound speed varies according to the pathological conditions of the tissue. Therefore, the objective of this study is to develop an in situ calibration method of predicting the true ultrasound speed of cartilage and thus allow the ultrasound transducer to measure the thickness of the tissue with great accuracy. By simultaneously implementing an indentation testing protocol using the ultrasound transducer as an indenter, this method can also provide an indentation stiffness measurement of cartilage.The feasibility of the proposed method was examined using normal and proteoglycan-depleted cartilage specimens. It was found that the true ultrasound speed measured by the in situ calibration method was sensitive to the proteoglycan depletion (1735+/-35 m/s for normal, and 1598+/-28 m/s for proteoglycan-depleted cartilage), and that the measured cartilage thickness was consistently accurate regardless of the tissue condition. The measured indentation stiffness of articular cartilage was also sensitive to the tissue condition. Thus, this study demonstrates that the proposed ultrasonic indentation technique can be used to accurately identify the abnormality of articular cartilage in situ.     

Systematic error in mechanical measures of damage during four-point bending fatigue of cortical bone

Accumulation of fatigue microdamage in cortical bone specimens is commonly measured by a modulus or stiffness degradation after normalizing tissue heterogeneity by the initial modulus or stiffness of each specimen measured during a preloading step. In the first experiment, the initial specimen modulus defined using linear elastic beam theory (LEBT) was shown to be nonlinearly dependent on the preload level, which subsequently caused systematic error in the amount and rate of damage accumulation measured by the LEBT modulus degradation. Therefore, the secant modulus is recommended for measurements of the initial specimen modulus during preloading. In the second experiment, different measures of mechanical degradation were directly compared and shown to result in widely varying estimates of damage accumulation during fatigue. After loading to 400,000 cycles, the normalized LEBT modulus decreased by 26% and the creep strain ratio decreased by 58%, but the normalized secant modulus experienced no degradation and histology revealed no significant differences in microcrack density. The LEBT modulus was shown to include the combined effect of both elastic (recovered) and creep (accumulated) strain. Therefore, at minimum, both the secant modulus and creep should be measured throughout a test to most accurately indicate damage accumulation and account for different damage mechanisms. Histology revealed indentation of tissue adjacent to roller supports, with significant sub-surface damage beneath large indentations, accounting for 22% of the creep strain on average. The indentation of roller supports resulted in inflated measures of the LEBT modulus degradation and creep. The results of this study suggest that investigations of fatigue microdamage in cortical bone should avoid the use of four-point bending unless no other option is possible.     

Static versus dynamic gerbil tympanic membrane elasticity: derivation of the complex modulus

An accurate estimation of tympanic membrane stiffness is important for realistic modelling of middle ear mechanics. Tympanic membrane stiffness has been investigated extensively under either quasi-static or dynamic loading conditions. It is known that biological tissues are sensitive to strain rate. Therefore, in this work, the mechanical behaviour of the tympanic membrane was studied under both quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. Experiments were performed on the pars tensa of four gerbil tympanic membranes. A custom-built indentation apparatus was used to perform in situ tissue indentations and testing was done applying both quasi-static and dynamic sinusoidal indentations up to 8.2?Hz. The unloaded shape of the tympanic membrane was measured and used to create specimen-specific finite element models to simulate the experiments. The frequency dependent Young's modulus of each specimen was then estimated by an inverse analysis in which the error between experimental and simulated indentation data was optimised for each indentation frequency separately. Using an 8?μm central region thickness, we found Young's moduli between 71 and 106?MPa (n = 4) at 0.2?Hz indentation frequency. A standard linear viscoelastic model and a viscoelastic model with a continuous relaxation spectrum were used to derive a complex modulus in the frequency domain. Due to experimental limitations, the indentation frequency upper limit was 8.2?Hz. The average relative modulus increase in this domain was 14% and the increase was the strongest below 6?Hz.     

Validation of shear wave elastography in skeletal muscle

Skeletal muscle is a very dynamic tissue, thus accurate quantification of skeletal muscle stiffness throughout its functional range is crucial to improve the physical functioning and independence following pathology. Shear wave elastography (SWE) is an ultrasound-based technique that characterizes tissue mechanical properties based on the propagation of remotely induced shear waves. The objective of this study is to validate SWE throughout the functional range of motion of skeletal muscle for three ultrasound transducer orientations. We hypothesized that combining traditional materials testing (MTS) techniques with SWE measurements will show increased stiffness measures with increasing tensile load, and will correlate well with each other for trials in which the transducer is parallel to underlying muscle fibers. To evaluate this hypothesis, we monitored the deformation throughout tensile loading of four porcine brachialis whole-muscle tissue specimens, while simultaneously making SWE measurements of the same specimen. We used regression to examine the correlation between Young′s modulus from MTS and shear modulus from SWE for each of the transducer orientations. We applied a generalized linear model to account for repeated testing. Model parameters were estimated via generalized estimating equations. The regression coefficient was 0.1944, with a 95% confidence interval of (0.1463–0.2425) for parallel transducer trials. Shear waves did not propagate well for both the 45° and perpendicular transducer orientations. Both parallel SWE and MTS showed increased stiffness with increasing tensile load. This study provides the necessary first step for additional studies that can evaluate the distribution of stiffness throughout muscle.