Library · Anatomy
Ligament
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A ligament is a strong band of fibrous connective tissue, that is, of a material made of interwoven fibers. Its job is to join one bone to another. It does so outside the joint surfaces, the smooth, cartilage-covered faces where the bones rub against each other as they move.
By anchoring the bones to each other, the ligament reinforces and supports the joint, and above all it keeps the bones from separating when something pulls on them. That is its first function: holding the pieces together.
The second one is subtler. The ligament does not block movement, it guides it: it lets normal movements through and checks excessive or abnormal ones. Ligaments are the straps of the skeleton: they let a joint move as far as it should and no farther. What gives them that strength are the collagen fibers, protein fibers that hold up very well under tension, meaning they are hard to stretch.
In brief
Ligaments are strong bands of fibrous connective tissue that join one bone to another outside their joint surfaces.
They reinforce and support the joint by anchoring the bones to each other and keeping them from separating.
They allow normal motion but limit its range, which prevents excessive or abnormal movement; collagen fibers give them that strength.
Ligaments are the straps of the skeleton: they let a joint move as far as it should and no farther.
Sources (2)
- OpenStax, Rice UniversityAnatomy and Physiology 2e, 9.4 Synovial JointsPublished
- OpenStax, Rice UniversityAnatomy and Physiology 2e, 4.3 Connective Tissue Supports and ProtectsPublished
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