Tendons and ligaments are the most essential parts of the skeletal and muscular systems of animals, most importantly in vertebrates. If there were no tendons and ligaments, neither the bones nor muscles would have been connected. That means, muscles are attached to bones and bones are attached to each other with the help of the connections of tendons and ligaments. Apart from these essential functions the two structures have not been well understood to highlight the differences between each other. Hence, it would be necessary to explain both tendons and ligaments with some emphasis on the difference between them.
Tendon
The tendons are the fibrous connective tissue that connect the muscles with the bones and transmit the force to the whole skeleton
They are made up of collagen fibers which, when not stressed, are light and undulating, allowing the transmission of force to the bones.
Tendon sheaths are conductive tubes filled with liquid. They are located where the tendons have to rotate or pass over protruding bones. This prevents the tendons from rubbing against the surrounding tissues.A tendon is a part of the striated muscle, white in color, strong and non-contractile, consisting of metamorphosis fibers and fibers of connective tissue, which are grouped into fascicles and foliage. It consists mainly of type I collagen fibers, very closely grouped together, in addition to a small amount of elastic fibers and mucopolysaccharides (they are responsible for keeping it attached to the bone). The bundles of fibers that are formed are intertwined by regular dense connective tissue not modeled, receiving the name of peritendon . The tendon exposed to the air deteriorates rapidly (wounds or surgical interventions). It is classified according to its disposition in: Without synovial sheath , they are located in areas of low friction. With synovial sheath , they are located in zones of greater friction. They are located at the level of the muscles and have the function of making a connection between muscle and bone. They can also attach muscles to soft structures like the eyeball.One of the most important characteristics of a tendon is its length, which is different from tendon to tendon and person to person.
Ligament
Joints are attached with ligaments. Ligaments are connective tissue , a connections between two bones, which help stabilize the joint. Ligaments also stabilizing and protecting the joints of the body, in order to Avoid displacement of the bone acting as well as shock absorbers. The ligaments are resilient structures, however, somewhat elastic, formed by whitish fibrous connective tissue (by the presence of collagen ), which have the function of joining two or more bones, stabilizing and protecting the joints of the body, in order to Avoid displacement of the bone acting as well as shock absorbers.
On the other hand, they transmit information to the spinal cord and brain, and also assist in the local storage and union of many internal organs, such as the bladder, uterus and diaphragm. Despite being formed of a tissue similar to the tendons, these, unlike the ligaments are structures that connect the muscle to the bone and, in turn, ligaments join two or more bones.
What is the difference between Tendon and Ligament?
- tendon and ligament both of them are the types of connective tissues but the function of tendon is to connect muscles with bones while on the other hand the function of ligaments is to connect bones with bones.
- Tendon connects the end of a muscle to any place of the bone, while on the other hand ligaments always connect bones at their joints.
- for a particular muscle there is one and only one tendon at one end while on the other hand there are few ligaments connecting two bones at a joint.
- There are more collagens in tendons than the ligaments.
- Ligaments have higher percentage of proteoglycans and water than tendons
- Ligaments have less organized collagen fibers than tendons
- Ligaments have rounder fibroblasts than tendons
- Tendons carry higher loads than ligaments because they recruit fibers quicker than tendons
