Mechanical Properties of Ligament and Tendon

Abstract

Ligaments and tendons, the flexible structures that bind together the musculoskeletal system, are extraordinarily strong in resisting tensile loads. For example, the digital flexor tendon from the foreleg of a horse is strong enough to support the weight of two large automobiles. The Anglo-Saxon word for tendon is “sinew,” which also means “strong” or “tough.” As Aristotle realized, without ligaments and tendons to stabilize and animate our skeletons, they would be mechanically useless. We now turn our attention to these important tissues.

The movement of animals is like that of automatic puppets... For they have functioning parts that are of the same kind: the sinews and bones. The latter are like the pegs and the iron in our example, the sinews like the cables.

Aristotle (384–322 B.C.), De Motu Animalium