Tendon and Ligament

Roles of Ligaments and

Joint Capsules
 Assist in Stabilization of Joint

 Restrict Movement

 Prevent Excessive Motion

 Roles of Tendons
 Attach muscle to bone

 Transmit tensile loads

 Position of muscle relative to joint

 Mechanical Behavior of
Tendons and Ligaments
 Both are viscoelastic tissues
 Visco - a small amount of load results in
quite a bit of deformation (relative)
 Elastic - refers to Elastic Region
 Importance of viscoelastic qualities?
 Properties of Tendon

 can sustain high tensile loads

 flexible
to allow changes in direction of
muscle pull
 Properties of Ligament

 guides movement

 resists applied force

 Mechanical Properties
of Tendon and Ligament
 Strength
 Stiffness
 Damage to Tendon and
Ligament
 When load is great enough to cause
injury, damage is dependent on:
 rate
and
 amount of load
 Load-Deformation Curve
for Tendon and Ligament
 (0,0)- A: Toe Region
 A - B: Elastic Region
 B: Yield Point
 B - C: Plastic Region
 C: Ultimate Failure Point
 Comparison of Bone to
Tendon and Ligament
 Identify
similarities and differences
between these tissue types.
 Mechanical Properties of
Tendon and Ligament
 Strength
 Stiffness
 Injury Mechanisms
 Injury occurs when tissue is loaded
beyond its physiological range.
 Microfailure occurs before the yield
point is reached.
 Injury Mechanisms cont.
 When yield point is exceeded, the
ligament begins to undergo gross
failure.

 Results in abnormal joint displacement

 Displacement results in...

 3 Clinical Categories of
Ligament Injury
 Negligible Clinical Symptoms (Grade 1)
 no joint instability can be detected
clinically
 Severe Pain (Grade 2)
 jointinstability can be detected clinically
 strength and stiffness decreases by 50%
 instability can be masked by muscle
involvement
 3 Clinical Categories of
Ligament Injury cont.
 Severe Pain (Grade 3)
 severe pain experienced during the injury
with less pain after the injury
 joint is completely unstable
 most collagen fibers have ruptured
 Noyes Study (1977)
 Rhesus monkeys
 8 wks immobilization
 returned to mobilization
 at 12 mo. mechanical properties were
comparable to non-immobilized
ligaments.
 Drumroll?
 Additional Factors Important
in Tendon Injury
 Amount of force produced by muscle
 Stress comparison between tendon and
muscle
 Loading Rates
 Factors Affecting Biomechanical
Properties of Tendon and Ligament
 Aging

 Pregnancy

 Mobilization vs. Immobilization

 NSAIDs
 Osteoarthritis
 Researchers
suggest that a deficiency in
mechanisms that minimize peak forces
may cause osteoarthritis.