Tendons are tough bands of inelastic fibrous tissue that connect muscle to bone. Every movement in the body depends on the ability of tendons to stretch and retract on demand. Tendons create motion. Tendons are not to be confused with ligaments, tough fibrous tissue that connect bone to bone. Tendons are susceptible to tears and inflammation from overuse.
Foot Tendons
Next time your wiggle your big toe, thank your extensor hallucis longus. Northcoastfootcare.com says that this tendon, located on top of the foot, is responsible for pulling the big toe and foot upward. The extensor digitorum longus tendon and extensor digitorum brevis pull up the little toes. Tendons on the bottom of the foot include the flexor hallucis longus and flexor hallucis brevis that control the big toe downward movement, the flexor digitorum longus that flexes the little toes downward and the posterior tibialis that flexes the foot downward. The well-known Achilles tendon, known also as the calcaneal tendon, connects the heel to the calf muscle.
Knee Tendons
The major tendons of the knee include the patellar tendon, illiotibial band, hamstring tendons and quadriceps tendon. The four quadriceps muscles of the knee are attached to the patella by the quadriceps tendon. The tibia attaches to the patellar (kneecap) by the patellar tendon. Hamstring tendons, located on the back of the thigh, attach the hamstring muscles to the knee. The illiotibial band (ITB) is a long tendon attaching the hipbone and the tensor fascia latae muscle. The ITB continues down the outer side of the shinbone to facilitate hip and knee movement.
Shoulder Tendons
Two biceps tendons attach the biceps muscle to the elbow and to the shoulder in two places---the shoulder blade and shoulder socket. A torn biceps tendon can cause damage to the rotator cuff tendons. Inflammation at the location of the biceps tendon and rotator cuff tendons is a common cause of shoulder tendinitis. Shouldersolutions.com reports rotator cuff tears include the subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor tendons that attach the four major muscles to the shoulder blade and the upper arm (see References 2).
Hand Tendons
Each finger has two flexor tendons and the thumb has one flexor tendon on the palm side of the hand. Flexor tendons run from the muscles of the forearm to the small bones of the thumb and fingers. The flexor tendons give the ability to bend the finger. Cuts and athletic injuries are common to flexor tendons. Extensor tendons are located on the back of the hand and attach to the muscles in the forearm. Small-muscle tendons separate into the fingers allowing for delicate fine-motor motions (see Resources 2).
Leg Tendons
The peroneus brevis tendon attaches the peroneus brevis muscle to the outside of the little toe and the fibula. The peroneus brevis tendon supports the movement to stand on the toes or to pull the foot upward. The peroneus longus tendon attaches the peroneus longus muscle at the main toe and the fibula. The peroneus longus tendon stabilizes the foot when walking (see Resources 3).
