Tendons articles from across Nature Portfolio

Rotator cuff tears occur due to trauma or, most commonly, due to degenerative changes to tendon structure. This Primer summarizes the epidemiology and pathophysiology of this condition, discusses its diagnosis and management, and highlights patients’ quality of life and future research questions.

New findings suggest that interosseous tendon inflammation is already present in individuals with clinically suspect arthralgia and is linked to an increased risk of developing clinical arthritis.

In tendon cells under shear stress, the induction of an influx of calcium by the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 upregulates collagen crosslinking, which increases tendon stiffness and potentially improves jumping performance.

Tissue engineers use mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and scaffolds for the regenerative treatment of injured or degenerated musculoskeletal tissues. As MSC interactions with state-of-the-art natural biological scaffolds are complex, the choice of a specific candidate for clinical applications based on interactions with MSCs in vitro, or even in vivo, is challenging.