Forming the palmar roof of the carpal tunnel, the transverse carpal ligament (TCL) continues to be the surgical target for carpal tunnel release which aims to relieve the symptoms of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. However, the surgical procedures may cause several biomechanical and anatomical problems for the carpal tunnel [1]. Therefore, an alternative, aimed at preserving the TCL, might alleviate patients’ post-operative complications. Using a geometrical model, Li et al. showed that the cross-sectional area of the carpal tunnel can be effectively increased by TCL elongation [2]. Theoretically, stiffness reduction could facilitate a ligament’s capability to elongate. Past studies have shown that the utilization of the collagenase enzyme altered the mechanical properties of a soft tissue [3, 4]. It also has been used to treat Dupuytren’s Contracture [5] because collagenase breaks the peptide bonds within collagen fibers [6]. The usage of collagenase could effectively reduce the stiffness of the TCL allowing for the ligament to elongate and for the median nerve to decompress. Thus, the purpose of our study is to determine the effect of collagenase on the stiffness of the TCL. We hypothesize that the stiffness of the ligament will progressively decrease due to the enzymatic effect of collagenase.

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