Tapes

Tapes hold the human skeleton together. They make a decisive contribution to the stability of the body and anyone who has ever had the painful experience of a torn ligament knows about their important role in the musculoskeletal system.

What are tapes?

For the term tape, or also Ligament, There are two different definitions: The well-known describes the Tapes the locomotor system or ligaments. These are firm, barely stretchable strands of connective tissue that connect two bones to one another.

What is important is the conceptual differentiation from the tendons - these connective tissue end pieces of a muscle transmit its pull to the skeleton. Ligaments, on the other hand, have nothing to do with the muscles, but only connect bones. Certain lines of connective tissue in the chest and abdomen, which fix the internal organs in place, are also called ligaments.

Anatomy & structure

Anatomy and structure of the Tapes can be illustrated well using a thread: the individual fibers point in approximately the same direction and the amount of them makes the thread tear-resistant and resilient, but it is hardly elastic.

It is similar with the bands. They consist of tight, parallel-fiber connective tissue. In contrast to other types of tissue, connective tissue contains relatively few cells, but a lot of extracellular matrix. This intercellular substance determines the properties of the respective connective tissue type.

In the case of tight, parallel-fiber connective tissue, it contains many collagen fibers. Collagen molecules assemble into fibrils. These in turn form larger fibers which ultimately - densely stored and aligned in parallel - result in a ligament. This structure ensures that joint ligaments are very resilient and only stretchable by approx. 5%.

The ligaments of the internal organs have a similar structure, but differ in their much finer structure and lower strength. They can contain pathways such as blood vessels and nerve cords. They are also covered with serosa, i. H. from the layer of tissue that lines the large body cavities.

Functions & tasks

Function and tasks of Tapes differ depending on the structure and anatomical position. Their common purpose is to prevent stretch damage to muscles and tendons by preventing unphysiological movement of the joints.

The so-called adhesive tapes are used to hold two or more bones together in a joint. In order to perform this stabilizing function, they must be permanently tensioned and can only lie at the ends of the axis of rotation so as not to impede the movement. If a ligament has the task of preventing an unphysiological overstretching of the joint, it is called an inhibition ligament. It is relaxed in most joint positions, but can tense up in certain extreme positions and thus restrict the range of motion to protect the surrounding anatomical structures (for example, the finger joints cannot be stretched indefinitely).

Another function is to direct the joint movement in a certain direction. This is what the guide bands do. Usually the ligaments stretch around the outside of the joint, but sometimes they also lie as internal ligaments within the joint capsule, such as B. the cruciate ligaments of the knee.

Diseases

There are a wide variety of diseases and ailments that are related to the Ribbons may occur. Limescale deposits can form within the ligaments due to overload or inflammatory processes. In the rheumatic disease of Bechterew's disease, for example, the anterior longitudinal ligament of the spine becomes calcified, which can make it completely immobile in the final stage.

Such degenerative processes not only impair the function of the affected ligaments, but also damage the entire joint and often affect bones, nerves and other structures. Often it also occurs through trauma, e.g. B. in sports accidents, ligament damage. The injuries vary depending on the severity: A ligament does not have to tear completely, it can simply be overstretched or partially tear.

The cruciate and collateral ligaments of the knee joint as well as the outer ligaments of the ankle joint are particularly often affected by such injuries. The latter are particularly at risk from so-called inversion-supination trauma, i.e. when the foot is twisted inward, which is the most common sports injury. In addition to the ligament, local blood vessels tear, which leads to bleeding into the surrounding tissue and thus to painful swelling.

Torn ligaments are usually treated conservatively by lying up, cooling and taking care of themselves. In particularly severe cases, surgery with possible ligament surgery is used.

Typical & common diseases

• Ligament stretching (ligament strain)
• Torn ligament