Morphometric and biomechanical analysis of gracilis and semitendinosus tendons: A cadaveric study in the South Indian setting

Background: Semitendinosus and gracilis muscle tendons are among the most frequently used grafts in anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery. Gracilis is also frequently used in breast reconstruction as well as in upper and lower limb reconstruction as a free graft. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 human cadaver lower limbs were studied of 30 adults (12 men and 18 women) who have been embalmed at a tertiary care institution. Those cadavers whose lower limb had undergone surgery in the past and those with concomitant pathology that would have affected the local anatomy were excluded. Gracilis and semitendinosus tendons were taken out of embalmed remains after the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues had been carefully dissected. Results: It was observed that the maximum load of all the semitendinosus tendons studied had a mean value of 768.2 ± 130.4 N. The semitendinosus tendon’s maximal load in males ranged from 698.4 to 1133.9 N. However in females, the semitendinosus tendon’s maximal load ranged from 589.5 to 780.0 N. Conclusion: The topographical and morphometric data from this study can be utilized as a database of anthropological parameters for the Semitendinosus and Gracilis muscle tendons of a population in a south Indian setting,