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In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote three different types of structures:[1]

  1. Fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones. Anatomy (from the Greek anatomia, from ana separate apart from and temnein, to cut up cut open is a branch of Biology that is the consideration Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism Bones are rigid organs that form part of the Endoskeleton of Vertebrates They function to move support and protect the various organs of the body produce They are sometimes called "articular ligaments"[2], "fibrous ligaments", or "true ligaments".
  2. A fold of peritoneum or other membrane
  3. The remnants of a tubular structure from the fetal period of life

The first meaning is most commonly what is meant by the term "ligament". In higher Vertebrates the peritoneum is the Serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity &mdash it covers most of the intra-abdominal A fetus (or foetus or fœtus) is a developing Mammal or other Viviparous Vertebrate, after the Embryonic stage and After briefly discussing the other two types of ligaments, the remainder of this article will focus upon the first type.


Contents

Fetal remnant ligaments

Certain tubular structures from the fetal period are referred to as ligaments after they close up and turn into cord-like structures:

Fetal Adult
ductus arteriosus ligamentum arteriosum
extra-hepatic portion of the fetal left umbilical vein ligamentum teres hepatis (the "round ligament of the liver"). In the developing Fetus, the ductus arteriosus ( DA) is a shunt connecting the Pulmonary artery to the aortic arch that allows most The ligamentum arteriosum is a small Ligament attached to the superior surface of the Pulmonary trunk and the inferior surface of the Aortic arch. The liver is a vital organ in the human body and is present in Vertebrates and some other animals The umbilical vein is a Blood vessel present during fetal development that carries Oxygenated Blood from the Placenta to the growing Fetus For other structures with similar name see Round ligament. In Anatomy, the round ligament of (the liver (also commonly known by its
intra-hepatic portion of the fetal left umbilical vein (the ductus venosus) ligamentum venosum
distal portions of the fetal left and right umbilical arteries medial umbilical ligaments

Articular ligaments

Diagrammatic section of a symphysis.
Diagrammatic section of a symphysis. In the Fetus, the ductus venosus shunts a significant majority (80% of the blood flow of the Umbilical vein directly to the Inferior vena cava. The ligamentum venosum is the fibrous remnant of the Ductus venosus of the Fetal circulation. In fields of Anatomy, anatomical terms of location are descriptive terms to help identify relative positions or directions within a species The umbilical artery is a paired artery (with one for each half of the body that is found in the abdominal and pelvic regions The medial umbilical ligament is a paired structure found in human Anatomy.

In its most common use, a ligament is a short band of tough fibrous dense regular connective tissue composed mainly of long, stringy collagen fibers. Connective tissue is one of the four types of tissue in traditional classifications (the others being epithelial, Muscle, and Nervous tissue) Collagen is the main Protein of Connective tissue in Animals and the most abundant protein in Mammals making up about 50% of the whole-body protein Fiber or fibre is a class of Materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces similar to lengths of thread. Ligaments connect bones to other bones to form a joint. A joint is the location at which two or more Bones make contact (They do not connect muscles to bones; that is the function of tendons. Muscle (from Latin musculus, diminutive of mus "mouse" is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the A tendon (or sinew) is a tough band of Fibrous connective tissue that usually connects Muscle to Bone and is capable of withstanding tension ) Some ligaments limit the mobility of articulations, or prevent certain movements altogether.

Capsular ligaments are part of the articular capsule that surrounds synovial joints. A joint is the location at which two or more Bones make contact They act as mechanical reinforcements. Extra-capsular ligaments join bones together and provide joint stability. A joint is the location at which two or more Bones make contact

Ligaments are only elastic; when under tension, they gradually lengthen. (Unlike tendons which are inelastic). This is one reason why dislocated joints must be set as quickly as possible: if the ligaments lengthen too much, then the joint will be weakened, becoming prone to future dislocations. Joint dislocation (Latin luxatio) occurs when bones in a Joint become displaced or misaligned Athletes, gymnasts, dancers, and martial artists perform stretching exercises to lengthen their ligaments, making their joints more supple. The term double-jointed refers to people who have more elastic ligaments, allowing their joints to stretch and contort further. The medical term for describing such double-jointed persons is hyperlaxity and double-jointed is a synonym of hyperlax. Hypermobility (also called double-jointedness, hypermobility syndrome or hyperlaxity) describes Joints that stretch farther than is normal

The study of ligaments is known as desmology.

The consequence of a broken ligament can be instability of the joint. Not all broken ligaments need surgery, but if surgery is needed to stabilise the joint, the broken ligament can be joined. Scar tissue may prevent this. If it is not possible to fix the broken ligament, other procedures such as the Brunelli Procedure can correct the instability. The Brunelli Procedure is a surgical procedure that can be used to correct instability in the Wrist. Instability of a joint can over time lead to wear of the cartilage and eventually to osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis ( OA, also known as degenerative Arthritis, degenerative joint disease) is a clinical syndrome in which low-grade inflammation

Examples:

Knee

Head and neck

Pelvis

Thorax

Wrist

References

  1. ^ ligament at eMedicine Dictionary
  2. ^ l_09/12488504 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary

External links

The anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL) is one of the four major Ligaments of the Knee. The Fibular Collateral Ligament ( external lateral or long external lateral ligament) is a strong rounded fibrous cord attached above to the back part of the The posterior cruciate ligament (or PCL is one of the four major Ligaments of the Knee. The medial collateral ligament of the Knee is one of the four major Ligaments of the knee Quadrupedalism (from Latin meaning "four legs" is a form of land animal locomotion using four legs. Quadrupedalism (from Latin meaning "four legs" is a form of land animal locomotion using four legs. The cricothyroid ligament is the larger part of the laryngeal membrane continuing inferiorly as a median or anterior part and twin lateral ligaments The periodontal ligament, commonly abbreviated as the PDL is a group of specialized Connective tissue fibers that essentially attach a tooth to the Alveolar bone The zonule of Zinn ( Zinn's membrane, ciliary zonule) is a ring of fibrous strands connecting the Ciliary body with the crystalline lens of the The anterior sacroiliac ligament consists of numerous thin bands which connect the anterior surface of the lateral part of the Sacrum to the margin of the auricular surface The posterior sacroiliac ligament is situated in a deep depression between the Sacrum and ilium behind it is strong and forms the chief bond of union between the The sacrotuberous ligament ( great or posterior sacrosciatic ligament) is situated at the lower and back part of the Pelvis. The sacrospinous ligament (small or anterior sacrosciatic ligament is thin and triangular in form it is attached by its apex to the Ischial spine, and medially by its broad The inferior pubic ligament ( arcuate pubic ligament or subpubic ligament) is a thick triangular arch of ligamentous fibers connecting together the two pubic bones The superior pubic ligament connects together the two Pubic bones superiorly extending laterally as far as the Pubic tubercles. In Males the suspensory ligament of the penis is attached to the Pubic symphysis, which holds the Penis close to the pubic bone and supports it when Cooper's ligaments (also known as the suspensory ligaments of Cooper and the fibrocollegenous septa) are Connective tissue in the Breast that In Human anatomy, the wrist is the flexible and narrower connection between the Forearm and the palm. eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996 by Scott Plantz and Richard Lavely two medical doctors Dorland's is the brand name of a family of medical reference works (including dictionaries, spellers word books and spell-check software) in various media (including

Dictionary

ligament

-noun

  1. (anatomy) band of strong tissue that holds the bones of an animal in position
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