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Tendons are tough pale/whitish cords that attach muscles
to bones.
(Compare with ligaments, which attach bones to bones and are also inelastic,
yet flexible.)
The
origin of a tendon is the point at which it is connected
to a muscle.
Tendons consist of water, type-I
collagen, cells called tenocytes, minor fibrillar collagens, fibril-associated
collagens and proteoglycans. Together, these components form many parallel
bundles of collagen fibres that are inelastic (that
is, they do not stretch in length), yet flexible (that is, they can
move and adopt different shapes as needed).
Collagen fibres from within muscles are continuous with
those of the attaching tendon.
Tendons insert
into bone at specific locations or junctions (between muscle and bone)
that are called an "enthesis". At these positions the collagen fibres
are mineralised and integrated into
bone tissue.
Tendons concentrate
the mechanical pull of muscles onto specific, small, areas of bone.
This
is enables efficient movement of the structure of the body, more specifically
- movement of bones relative to other bones.
Chronic overuse of tendons can lead to microscopic tears
within the collagen matrix, which may gradually weaken the tissue. Some
sports/remedial massage therapists may treat tendon injuries, as may physiotherapists.
This Section consists of short summaries about the
structures that form the muscles of the body.
This list is not exhaustive but is intended to be appropriate for students
of A-Level Human Biology, ITEC courses in massage and related subjects,
and some other courses in Health Sciences.
For more general information about Muscles see
the pages about: Anterior
Muscles, Posterior
Muscles, Facial
Muscles, Terminology
about Muscles, and the Structure
of Muscles.
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