Library · Physiology
Tendon function
Make it clearer
The tendon is the structure that transmits the force of the muscle to the bones, which act as the levers of the skeleton. Two things follow from that at once: movement and the maintenance of posture.
To do that well it has to be made of a particular material. The tendon is stiffer than muscle, is more resistant to tension, that is, pulling, and holds up under heavy loads while deforming very little. That combination is what lets it deliver almost the full force, because little energy is lost stretching the tendon itself. It is a cable, not a rubber band: whatever stretches absorbs part of the pull.
The numbers help put it in perspective: the flexor tendons of the foot can bear more than eight times body weight. And so that all of this happens without friction, synovial sheaths, lubricated coverings, let the tendon glide inside the fibrous sheath that guides it.
In brief
The tendon transmits the muscle's force to the levers of the skeleton and supports the body's movement and posture.
It is stiffer than muscle, resists tension better and carries heavy loads with little deformation, so little energy is lost along the way.
A cable, not a rubber band: whatever stretches keeps part of the pull.
The flexor tendons of the foot can bear more than eight times body weight, and synovial sheaths let them glide inside the fibrous sheath.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingAnatomy, Tendons, StatPearlsPublished
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