The corresponding eventual decrease in stress that will occur as fluid is no longer exuded

• A. Relaxation
• B. Creep
• C. Hysteresis
• D. Strain

Answer: (A)

Stress relaxation is the time-dependent decrease in internal stress that occurs when a material is held at a constant deformation. In viscoelastic tissues, applying a fixed stretch initially generates higher stress, but over time the internal structure rearranges and fluids can exude, reducing resistance and causing the stress to diminish even though the deformation remains the same. This explains why the described situation corresponds to relaxation.

Creep would involve continued deformation (strain) over time under a constant load, which is the opposite scenario. Hysteresis refers to energy loss in a loading–unloading cycle, not a sustained drop in stress under fixed strain. Strain is the deformation itself, not the change in stress over time.