- Anatomy
- Ligaments
Ligaments
Ligaments
The ligaments keep the bones of a joint firmly connected and play an important role in the stability and guidance of joint movements.
Ligaments are reinforcements of the joint capsule. The best-known ligaments are the ankle ligaments, collateral knee ligaments and cruciate ligaments. These are relatively often injured.
Function of the ligaments
Ligaments ensure the guidance and braking of joint movements. They play an important role in the stability of a joint. This stability is passive. Unlike a muscle, a ligament is not so elastic and cannot contract. This makes ligaments vulnerable to abrupt and abnormal loading. A ligament cannot really stretch and is therefore damaged more quickly. This happens, for example, with a severe ankle sprain.
Ligaments do have 'sensors' in the fibres. This allows, with impending overstretching, direct activation of muscles in the vicinity to contract, to protect the ligaments. However, this activation takes time, which means that with abrupt rapid movements the contraction of the muscles may come too late.
Related topics
- Achilles tendon
- Anatomy of the abdominal muscles
- Anatomy of the bones
- Anatomy of the foot
- Anatomy of the hand
- Anatomy of the spine
- Anatomy of the thigh
- Anatomy of the wrist
- Big toe
- Bursa
- Cartilage
- Central nervous system
- Connective tissue
- Dermatomes
- Hamstrings
- Intervertebral disc
- Joint
- Joint capsule
- Ligaments
- Lungs
- Motor nerve
- Muscles
- Nervous system
- Osteoarthritis
- Pelvic floor muscles
- Peripheral nervous system
- Proprioception
- Rotator cuff
- SI joint
- Sensory nerve
- Skin
- Subscapularis
- Synovial fluid
- Tendons
- Trapezius muscle
- Trigger points