Biomechanical properties of the transverse carpal ligament under biaxial strain

The transverse carpal ligament (TCL) influences carpal stability and carpal tunnel mechanics, yet little is known about its mechanical properties. We investigated the tissue properties of TCLs extracted from eight cadaver arms and divided into six tissue samples from the distal radial, distal middle, distal ulnar, proximal radial, proximal middle, and proximal ulnar regions. The 5% and 15% strains were applied biaxially to each sample at rates of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1%/s. Ligament thickness ranged from 1.22 to 2.90 mm. Samples from the middle of the TCL were thicker proximally than distally (p