LIGAMENTS AND TENDONS-WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

At some point in everyone's life, they have heard of tendons and ligaments. Whether it is a friend complaining of a torn tendon or your massage therapist telling you that your ligaments are tight around a specific body part. Either way, these two terms are commonly used but, also, commonly misunderstood. 

Ligaments
What are ligaments? Well, ligaments are fibrous connective tissue that connects bone to bone, according to Live Strong. When the connection is made, it creates a joint. This thick tissue allows for many simple and complex movements to happen throughout the body. The ligaments are able to help preform so many different functions because they come in many different shapes and sizes, which benefit the stability and strength of the joint. It is possible to over-stretch or tear a ligament when there is too much force on the ligament. This is commonly known as a sprain, which is usually indicated by swelling and redness at the joint. 
 


Tendons
Tendons, although similar, are very different in their purpose. Tendons connect bone to muscle rather than bone to bone, according to MedLine Plus. Tendons also help with the movement of the bones through the transmission of force from the muscle to the bone. Tendons also differ in size and shape, which allows the tendons to help with range of motion and to resist outside pressures. When these outside pressures are more than what the tendon can handle, there is a high chance for injury. These injuries include stretching or tearing the tendon and can happen abruptly or over time. One generally can tell when they have injured their tendon by the inflammation around the area. 

Similarities
Although these two are very different, there are some major similarities, which often cause the confusion of the two. Both tendons and ligaments are made of fibrous connective tissue. Tendons and ligaments are very important connectors for our body, which allow us to move properly. The final important similarity of the two is that they help with the overall stability and strength of our body. 

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