Your body relies on an extended system of different types of tissue to move comfortably, protect your internal organs and maintain your shape. These tissues include everything from your bones to your muscles. One of the main supporting connective tissue structures are your ligaments, which use their ability to stretch to help provide support and movement to the body.
Purpose
Ligaments play an important role in your body as they connect bone to bone. The way they are attached between bones provides stabilization and strength to the joints. Ligaments also restrict motion, providing a specific amount of range per joint and regulating how far you can bend your legs at the knee and arms at the elbow.
Collagenous Fibers
Ligaments stretch due to the type of fiber that makes up each segment. Ligaments consist of collagenous fibers. Made up of the structural protein collagen, these fibers are strong, yet provide some amount of stretch to the ligament. You can tell these fibers by the way they are both white and shiny, providing the traditional look of ligaments in the body.
Injuries
Although ligaments are designed to stretch, they are not limitless in flexibility. As such, ligaments are prone to injuries involving overstretching, commonly referred to as a sprain. Ligaments typically stretch and return to their original shape. However, when ligaments are stretched too far over a period of time, they do not return to normal, resulting in joint instability. This is common with dislocated joints that are not set quickly after dislocation. Some of the most common ligament injuries involve the anterior cruciate ligament and the posterior cruciate ligament.
Treatment
Overstretched ligaments can be treated in a variety of ways. First, resting the affected ligament can help the area heal. For pain relief, an over-the-counter medication such as naproxen or ibuprofen can be used to reduce pain and lower swelling around the ligament. For more serious injuries, physical therapy can help strengthen the ligament and the supporting muscle of the joint. Torn ligaments usually require surgery.
References
- University of Michigan: Structure and Function of Ligaments and Tendons
- PATTS: The Skeleton: Skeletal System
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Combined Knee Ligament Injuries
- Mayo Clinic: Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury
