Tendons and Ligaments

Tendons and Ligaments

By R. Marsh Ph.D.

A tendon is a fibrous connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone

A ligament is a fibrous connective tissue that attaches bone to bone, and usually serves to hold structures together and keep them stable

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To understand the Tendons and Legaments we are going to look at the knew joint.​

Tendons & Ligaments

You can think of ligaments as rope, with a series of tough, intertwined cords that bind bones.

There are four ligaments that also stabilize the knee joint at rest and during movement namely:

• Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL)

• Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL)

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

• Posterior Cruciate (PCL)

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_____ MCL,  _______LCL, _______ ACL,  _____PCL

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The meniscus:

• C-shaped piece of tough, rubbery cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between your shinbone and thighbone.

• Cartilage is a type of connective tissue

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The next video is to show how a torn menisus is fixed.

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A torn meniscus is one of the most common knee injuries. Any activity that causes you to forcefully twist or rotate your knee, especially when putting your full weight on it, can lead to a torn meniscus

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When a ligament is overstretched or torn, it results in what’s technically known as a sprain.

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When a tendon is overstretched or torn, it’s known as a strain.

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Sprain or Strain ?

• A ligament is overstretched or torn, it results in what’s technically known as a sprain.​

• Many sprains happen suddenly, either from a fall, awkward movement, or blow.​

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• LIGAMENTS

• Sprains commonly happen in the ankle, knee, or wrist.

• A misstep can cause you to twist your ankle in an awkward position, snapping a ligament and causing your ankle to be unstable or wobbly. You might hear a pop or feel a tear when the injury occurs.

• A wrist is often sprained when you reach out your extended hand to break a fall, only to have the wrist hyperextend back. That hyperextension overstretches the ligament.​

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When a tendon is overstretched or torn, it’s known as a strain.

• Common areas affected by strains are the leg, foot, and back.

• Strains are often the result of habitual movements and athletics. Athletes who overtrain their bodies without adequate time for rest and muscle repair in between workout sessions are at increased risk.

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RICE

How to treat SPRAINS and STRAINS:

RICE

Rest. Try to keep your injured body part immobilized until healing is well underway. This may be easier with the use of immobilization braces and crutches if needed.

Ice. Wrap ice in a towel to protect the skin and then ice the injured area for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day, while you recover.

Compression. Reduce swelling by wearing a compression bandage. Wrap the bandage so it’s snug but not uncomfortably tight.

RICE

​Elevation. Keeping your injured body part higher than your heart can help reduce swelling and promote healing.

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Medication. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories and pain relievers, taken as needed, may help reduce your pain and swelling

Use ice for acute injuries or pain, along with inflammation and swelling. GOAL is to slow circulation and blood flow to the area.

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Use heat for muscle pain or stiffness. GOAL is to increase blood flow, relax the muscle, heal damaged tissue, soothe aches.

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ICE or HEAT?

CHRONIC INJURY

PAIN > 12 WEEKS

Caused by overusing one body area over a period of time

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Chronic or Acure Injury?

ACUTE INJURY

PAIN < 12 WEEKS

Occurs suddenly and is associated with trauma such as cracking a bone or tearing muscle

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The knee is the largest joint in the body.

Common Causes of KNEE

Injury to the MCL often occurs when the knee suffers a blow or hit to the outside, pushing it inward. (Symptoms are similar to LCL injuries, but the pain and swelling are located on the inside of the knee, not the outside).​

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Knees:​

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Injury to the ACL: The anterior cruciate ligament runs diagonally down the middle of the knee and connects the femur to the tibia. This ligament prevents your shinbone from sliding too far forward during running, hopping, and activities that involve changing direction quickly (cutting).

Knees:​

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After injuring their ACL, a person may hear a sudden "pop" and feel their Knee swelling and pain

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Decreased or loss of range of motion, tenderness along the joint line, pain with walking, Knee joint effusion (Fluid)

Knees:​

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Injury to the PCL: The main function of the PCL is to prevent your tibia from moving too far backward. A direct blow to the front of the shinbone or a fall onto your knee with your foot pointing down can also cause a PCL injury.

Symptoms of a PCL injury often include stiffness, swelling, and pain located at the back of the knee and/or pain with kneeling.

Knees:​

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Injury to the Cartilage: Cartilage within the joint provides cushioning to protect the bones from the routine stresses of walking, running, and climbing. The medial and lateral meniscus are two thicker wedge-shaped pads of cartilage attached to the top of the tibia (shin bone) called the tibial plateau. Each meniscus is curved in a C-shape

Knees:​

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A torn meniscus is damaged from a tear in the cartilage that is positioned on top of the tibia to allow the femur to glide when the knee joint moves.

Knees:​

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​______ Articular Cartilage, ______ Anterior Cruciate Ligament

_____ Posterior Cruciate Ligament _____Medial Collateral Ligament ______Quadricepts, _____ Femur, _____ Meniscus, ____Patella, _____Tibia, _____Fibula

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Muscles have a great blood supply and left alone they will fully heal in 6-12 weeks depending on the severity of the strain. A complete rupture would need surgical intervention followed by physiotherapy strengthening.

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Tendons are the soft tissue that connects our muscles to the bone allowing them to be a pully and subsequently produce movement.. They also have a much smaller blood supply, reducing their metabolism.

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A more common injury of the tendon is “tendinopathy” or tendonities which are both the same thing. This refers to an overload of the tendon over a significant time period.

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Ligament; the primary role of this soft tissue is stability and it does this by connecting bone to bone. They do NOT have a good blood supply.

Ligaments are susceptible to being over stretched causing the fibers to separate; this type of injury is referred to as a SPRAIN

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Replace this with your body text.

​Duplicate this text as many times as you would like.

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​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

Cortisone shots are injections of medicine that ease pain and swelling in different parts of the body. Doctors use these shots to treat injuries and conditions such as arthritis or autoimmune disorders (when the body’s immune system harms its own cells).

Cortisone

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct statement

• Tendons connect muscles to bone

• Tendons connect bone to bone

• Tendons connect muscle to muscle

Multiple Choice

what is called a tear and over stretch called?

• sprain

• muscle pull

• strain

• rupture

Multiple Choice

Absorbs shock between the tibia and the femur

• Meniscus
• Tibia
• Fibula
• Gracillis

Multiple Choice

Which injury typically presents when the foot is planted and twisted.  A "pop" is felt, and the knee swells a great amount over the following 24 hours?

• Grade 1 MCL sprain
• Patellar Tendonitis
• Chondromalacia 
• ACL tear

Multiple Choice

This picture indicates what injury?

• torn MCL

• torn hamstring

• bicep femoral tendon tear

• meniscus tear

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be a characteristic of a chronic illness?

• Slow, progressive decline

• Requires short-term surveillance.

• Reversible pathology

• Cure likely

Multiple Choice

An injury that happens suddenly is called an ...?

• Accurate injury

• Approximate injury

• Acute injury

• Apoplectic injury

• a