Mechanical testing of porcine cervical facet capsular ligaments

The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the mechanical response of healthy facet capsular ligaments (FCL) in a porcine model. Twenty-five porcine FCL samples were subjected to uniaxial stress-relaxation tests at 30% and 50% strain to quantify their elastic and viscoelastic properties. Results support non-linear viscoelastic theory, as linear viscoelastic parameters were found to be influenced by peak strain magnitude.