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Ligaments and Tendons are dense, fibrous connective tissues that are composed of parallel bundles of collagen fibres. Ligaments and tendons form the connecting part of the skeletal system in humans. They are soft and flexible connective tissues that support muscles and bones in the body.
- Ligament is a fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to bones, particularly in the joints.
- Tendon is a tough, thick band of fibrous connective tissues that connect muscles to bones.
The major difference between Ligaments and Tendons is that ligaments connect one bone to another while Tendons join bones to the muscles. These tissues connect and anchor various organs in the body of an organism. Both ligaments and tendons have a particular type of cell called Fibroblast that forms the structural framework for connective tissues.
Read More: NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Structural Organisation in Animals
Key Terms: Ligaments, Tendons, Connective Tissues, Fibroblasts, Bones, Muscles, Tendonitis, Tissues, Achilles Tendon, Collagen
What are Ligaments?
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Ligaments are dense and flexible connective tissue, made up of lots of individual fibres, that connect the bones of the body together. Ligaments are white-coloured cross-shaped bands that connect bones. They have a lot of flexibility as well as strength. They hold the body structures together and keep them stable.
- Ligaments allow the joints to move in the direction they are meant to.
- They hold the bones together.
- They also make sure that the joints don’t twist.
- Ligaments stabilize muscles and bones.
- They prevent the bones from dislocating.
What are Tendons?
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Tendons are the connective tissue that connects muscles to bones and can be found at both ends of a muscle. Tendons can be found anywhere in the body, from the head to the foot. Tendons are highly resistant to tearing but are not flexible. They can be easily injured when strained and may take a long time to heal.
- Tendons are a cord of strong, flexible tissues, similar to a rope.
- They connect muscles to bones in the body.
- They prevent muscle injury by absorbing some of the impacts the muscles take when we run, jump or do other movements.
- Tendons have different shapes and sizes depending on the muscles they’re attached to.
- Tendonitis is a condition caused due to irritation and inflammation of tendons.
Tendons
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Structure of Ligaments and Tendons
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Ligaments and Tendons are mainly composed of Type I collagen fibres surrounded by a mesh of loose connective tissue. They are both divided into smaller fascicles. Each fascicle contains the basic fibril of the tendons or ligaments as well as fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are a biological cell that produces tendons and ligaments.
- Tendons and ligaments are mostly composed of 70% water, 20% collagen, and 2% pulverised substance.
- Collagen makes up 70% of its dry weight. Collagen is a tensile-strengthening fibrous protein.
- Tendons and ligaments have different collagen fibre arrangements.
- Ligaments are structured in a dense but random or loose-packed network.
- Tendons are organised in an orderly, parallel and linearly packed pattern.
- Tendons withstand strong unidirectional (uniaxial) tensile loads during activity.
- Ligaments normally bear tensile loads in one direction and lesser tensile loads in other directions.
Read More: Structural Organization in Animals Important Questions
Difference between Ligaments and Tendons
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Ligaments and Tendons are both fibrous connective tissues, however, both of them differ in their functions, structure and injuries. The main difference between ligaments and tendons are as follows:
| Tendon | Ligament |
|---|---|
| Tendons connect muscles to bones. | Ligaments connect bones to bones. |
| They connect the end of the muscles to any part of the bone. | They connect the ends of the bones only at joints. |
| Tendons are tough and inelastic structures. | Ligaments are highly elastic and flexible. |
| They are white in colour. | They are usually yellow in colour. |
| Each muscle has only one tendon. | Every joint has many ligaments. |
| There is comparatively more collagen content in Tendons. | Ligaments have comparatively lesser collagen content. |
| The proteoglycan content is less in Tendons. | The proteoglycan content is comparatively more in Ligaments. |
| Tendons have fibroblasts lying in a continuous row. | Ligaments have fibroblasts lying scattered. |
| They have a poor blood supply. | They have a similar poor blood supply. |
| Tendons have fibres in the form of compacts and parallel bundles. | Ligaments have fibres not arranged parallelly but compactly packed. |
| Tendons have no further classification. | Ligaments are further classified into three types namely articular, remnant and peritoneal ligaments. |
| Example: Achilles Tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel bone. | Example: Anterior Cruciate Ligament known as ACL connects the thigh bone to the shinbone, which helps in stabilizing the knee point. |
Functions of Ligaments and Tendons
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Ligaments and Tendons are important connective tissues in the body. Tendon attaches muscle to the bone while the ligament attaches one bone to another. Tendons play an important part in our body's mobility because they transfer force from the muscle to the bone. Ligaments are specialised connective tissues with their own set of biomechanical characteristics.
The functions of ligaments are tendons are as follows:
| Functions of Tendons | Functions of Ligaments |
|---|---|
| Tendons assist with the mobility of the bones. | Ligaments help in the free movement of the joint in the direction of its movement. |
| They connect bones to skeletal muscles. | They connect the bones together. |
| Tendons provide support to a joint by reducing stress on the ligaments and muscles around it. | They help to stabilize muscles and bones. |
| They create tension in the muscle that makes it contract and move. | They help in the prevention of the dislocation of bones. |
Ligament and Tendon Injuries
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Ligament and Tendon injuries are very common and can be very painful at times. It is difficult to self-diagnose the injury or differentiate between tendon and ligament injuries based on the symptoms alone. Minor tendon and ligament injuries heal on their own, while an injury that causes severe pain needs specific treatment.
The factors increasing the risk of ligament and tendon injuries are
- Overuse, such as playing sports excessively.
- Trauma from a fall or blow.
- Twisting the tendon or ligament during an awkward or unusual position.
- Weakness in the adjacent muscles due to a sedentary lifestyle.
Blood, its specialized cells (WBCs and platelets) and blood vessels are integral for healing an injury. However, tendons and ligaments lack blood vessels, and thus, they take a long time to heal when they are injured.
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Things to Remember
- Ligaments and tendons are both fibrous connective tissues.
- Ligaments are cross-shaped bands that link bones and joints.
- Tendons are the connective tissue that connects muscles to bones.
- Tendons are white in colour whereas, ligaments are yellow in colour.
- There is only one tendon in each muscle while a joint can have many ligaments.
- The collagen component in tendons is more in tendons in comparison to ligaments.
Previous Years’ Questions
- Tendon and ligament are examples of… (AIIMS 2011)
- Ligament is mainly made up of… (JIPMER 2008)
- Tendons attach one bone to another bone. Ligaments attach…
- Tendon is made up of… (NEET 1999)
- Muscle is attached to the humerus by… (COMEDK UGET 2006)
- In which of these would you find white fibrous tissue… (KEAM)
- Tendons, which attach one bone to another bone are made up of… (KEAM)
- Which type of tissue correctly matches its locations… (NEET 2016)
- Which of the following tissue systems constitutes…
- Which of the following tissue is not a component of a…
Sample Questions
Ques. What is the primary difference between ligaments and tendons? (2 Marks)
Ans. The primary difference between ligaments and tendons is that ligaments join one bone to another bone, whereas tendons join muscles to the bone. Both ligaments and tendons play important roles in the musculoskeletal system of the human body.
Ques. How many types of joints are there in our body? Name them. (2 Marks)
Ans. There are five types of joints in our body:
- Ball and Socket Joints
- Fixed Joints
- Gliding Joints
- Pivotal Joints
- Hinge Joints
Ques. What are dislocation and fracture of a bone? What precautions should one take when one gets a fracture? (3 Marks)
Ans. Any sudden movement can cause an injury to the skeleton. The injury in the skeleton is referred to as a dislocation or a fracture. In dislocation, the bones at the joint are moved from their normal position. The ligaments which join the bone may be torn apart or injuries causing pain and swelling. A fracture can be defined as a break in the bone. The break may be a hairline crack or a serious break in one or more joints. It also causes pain and swelling.
In both fracture and dislocation, the patient should soon be taken to a doctor or a hospital.
- Never try to reset the bone.
- Place the injured part in a comfortable position.
- Avoid jerking or movement of the injured part.
Ques. What are the functions of bone, cartilage, ligament and tendon? (3 Marks)
Ans. The functions of bone, cartilage, ligament and tendon are as follows:
- Bone: Bones form the structure of the body and protect the most important organs of our body like the brain, heart and lungs.
- Cartilage: Cartilage gives support, frictionless movement and flexibility to various body parts.
- Ligament: Ligaments join one bone to another bone and are responsible for the movement of joints.
- Tendon: Tendon attaches bone to the muscle and provides movement of body parts.
Ques. Differentiate between Ligament and Tendon. (5 Marks)
Ans. The difference between ligament and tendon is tabulated below:
| Tendon | Ligament |
|---|---|
| Tendon connects a muscle to a bone. | Ligament joins one bone with another bone. |
| Tendons are tough and inelastic. | Ligaments are strong but elastic. |
| Tendon contains parallel bundles of white collagen fibres. | Bundles of white collagen fibres are arranged in various directions in ligaments. |
| Yellow elastin fibres are absent in tendons. | Yellow elastin fibres are present in ligaments. |
| Fibroblasts lie in rows in tendons. | Fibroblasts lie scattered in ligaments. |
Ques. What are ligaments? (2 Marks)
Ans. A ligament is a fibrous connective tissue that connects one bone to another bone. Ligaments are elastic in nature and have a poor blood supply. They exist in the form of criss-cross bands. Ligaments are found in different shapes and sizes in the body. Some of them look like pieces of string, while others look like narrow or wide bands.
Ques. What are tendons? (2 Marks)
Ans. Tendons are tough fibrous connective tissues that connect muscle to bone. They perform many functions ranging from passively modulating forces during locomotion to providing additional stability with no active work. Tendons are found in our entire body from the head and neck all the way down to the feet. The Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the human body.
Ques. Name the tissue that
(a) Connects muscle to bone in humans.
(b) Forms inner lining of alveoli.
(c) Stores fat in our body.
(d) Transports water and minerals in plants.
(e) Present in veins of leaves. (3 Marks)
Ans. (a) Tendon
(b) Squamous Epithelium
(c) Adipose Tissue
(d) Xylem
(e) Xylem and Phloem
Ques. Identify the location of the following tissues.
(a) Tendon
(b) Cuboidal Epithelium
(c) Alveolar Tissue
(d) Aerenchyma Plant Tissue. (3 Marks)
Ans. (a) Tendon: It is located between muscle and bone,
(b) Cuboidal Epithelium: Present in the germinal epithelium and Kidney tubules.
(c) Areolar Tissue: It is a connective tissue.
(d) Aerenchyma: In aquatic plants.
Ques. Name some common tendon strains. (2 Marks)
Ans. Some common tendon strains are as follows:
- Achilles Strain (Attaches calf muscle to heel bone)
- Hamstring Strain (Hamstring Tendonitis)
- Shoulder Strain (Shoulder Tendonitis)
Ques. State one characteristic of tendons and ligaments. (3 Marks)
Ans. Tendon is a dense white connective tissue between muscle and bone and the ligament is a dense yellow connective tissue which joins two bone ends.
- Characteristic of Tendon: It contains parallel bands of white collagen fibres with fibroblasts in between them.
- Characteristic of Ligament: It contains yellow elastin fibres and bundles of white collagen fibres with scattered fibroblasts.
Ques. How can a tendon injury take place? (2 Marks)
Ans. Tendon injury takes place when there is a situation of overstraining. It happens because they have fewer blood vessels in comparison to the muscles. Also, tendons also take a longer time to heal in comparison to the other tissues. Thus, it may take a lot of time for a tendon injury to heal.
Ques. Which important organ is fully protected inside the bones of the skull? (2 Marks)
Ans. The bones of the skull are joined with strong joints. They form a structure similar to a box. It is not easy to break them. The bones of the skull protect the most important organ of our body i.e. the brain.
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