REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Skeletal Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1555199
The Musculotendinous Interface: Insights into Development, Injury, and Recovery for Military Medical Applications
Provisionally accepted
- 1Defense Health Agency, Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence, Falls Church, VA, United States
- 2Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
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Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) are a major cause of morbidity and lost duty time for military service members, impacting overall military readiness, with overuse injuries being particularly prevalent among them. Musculotendinous injuries, affecting the musculotendinous unit, are especially problematic due to their long recovery times and limited treatment options. To better understand these injuries, this review delves into the developmental, homeostatic, and structural biology of musculotendinous units, with a focus on the myotendinous junction (MTJ). Additionally, it explores the biomechanical model of the musculotendinous unit and the complexities of endogenous repair processes for muscle, tendon, and MTJ injuries. Based on these insights, the review discusses promising therapeutic approaches for treating these injuries, such as anabolic agents, metabolic reprogramming, scaffold or cell-based therapies, and physical therapy. These emerging therapies offer potential avenues for accelerating endogenous healing, reducing recovery time, and improving long-term outcomes for musculotendinous injuries. Ultimately, further research in this area could significantly enhance military readiness by mitigating the impact of MSKIs on service members.
Keywords: Cumulative Trauma Disorders, Military Personnel, Tendon Injuries, Wound Healing, Biomechanics
Received: 03 Jan 2025; Accepted: 25 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Adams, Davis, Browder, Dearth and Goldman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Stephen M Goldman, Defense Health Agency, Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence, Falls Church, VA, United States
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