A surgical instrument includes a housing, an elongated shaft extending distally from the housing, and an end effector extending distally from the elongated shaft. A tensile member extends through the elongated shaft to operatively couple to the end effector to a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism includes an actuator operable to induce longitudinal motion in the tensile member, and longitudinal motion in the tensile member induces movement of the end effector. A tensioning mechanism is provided to impart a proximally directed force on the drive mechanism such that the proximally directed force is transmitted to the tensile member. Thus, the tensile member may be maintained in a tensile state over time.
