About Ligaments

Bones give people the ability to hold the body erect and protect organs from injury, but it's the ligaments that give the skeleton strength and flexibility. Ligaments prevent unwanted movement and hold joints in a stable position through normal movements. The placement of ligaments at the joint permits movement only in certain directions, giving greater stability to walking and running activities.

Structure

Ligaments are designed in a hierarchical structure. The band of dense ligamental tissue is split into smaller segments called fascicles, which are in turn broken down into fibrils and fibroblasts. These are the basic cells from which the ligament grows. Bands of ligaments are made up of collagen and provide flexibility and toughness to the joint. As an example, when placed under great stress, more often the bone will break before the ligament will tear.

Types

According to Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, there are three different types of ligaments in the body. Peritoneal ligaments are fibrous material that provide support in the peritoneal cavity, such as the ligament that supports the uterus. Fetal remnant ligaments are tubular structures that remain in the body from the fetal period. They often become cord-like structures as the body ages, and are referred to as ligaments. Articular ligaments are the most common ligaments in the body and are short bands of dense connective tissue that connect bones to other bones to form a joint.

Function

An important function of joint-supporting ligaments is to provide information to the brain that allows the individual to consciously and subconsciously recognize the location of body parts in space, according to the journal "Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica." This knowledge is called proprioception. The ability helps the individual to perform complex coordinated activities.

Injury

According to physical therapist Rob Royles, two commonly treated ligamental injuries are the anterior cruciate and the posterior cruciate ligaments located in the knee. These ligaments can be damaged by situations that impact a reasonable amount of force upon the joint. High velocity traffic accidents, sports injuries or injuries that involve a rotation may cause one or the other cruciate ligament to be damaged. The medial collateral ligament runs along the inside of the knee and can be injured during high impact accidents or from overuse. According to FamilyDoctor.com, ankle sprains commonly involve stretched or torn ligaments. When the ligament is stretched too much during a dislocation or sprain, the joint can be weakened, becoming prone to further injury.

Strengthening

Once the joint becomes injured and the ligaments have stretched, strengthening the surrounding musculature will help to stabilize the joint. According to FamilyDoctor.com, ligaments cannot be strengthened due to their underlying structure. However, strengthening the musculature will protect both the joint and the ligament from further injury.