Elucidating the effects of connective tissue remodelling on muscle force and work in an animal model of aging

The process of aging has been shown to induce significant changes to the connective tissue structures associated with skeletal muscle. A commonly observed consequence of these changes is a reduction in muscle quality such that a relatively larger proportion of a muscle’s cross-sectional area is composed of intramuscular connective tissues resulting in a reduction in maximum isometric stress. However, the mechanical interaction between contractile tissues and connective tissue structures within skeletal muscle are likely to have far reaching effects beyond a simple reduction in relative force. Here we use an animal model to examine how age-related remodeling of connective tissue structures are likely to impact musculoskeletal performance at varying levels of organizations.