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Metabolic Influences on Risk for Tendon Disorders pp 3–10Cite as

Tendon Structure and Composition

Part of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series (AEMB,volume 920)

Abstract

Tendons are soft, fibrous tissues that connect muscle to bone. Their main function is to transfer muscle generated force to the bony skeleton, facilitating movement around a joint, and as such they are relatively passive, inelastic structures, able to resist high forces. Tendons are predominantly composed of collagen, which is arranged in a hierarchical manner parallel to the long axis of the tendon, resulting in high tensile strength. Tendon also contains a range of non-collagenous proteins, present in low amounts, which nevertheless have important functional roles. In this chapter, we describe general tendon composition and structure, and discuss how variations in composition and structure at different levels of the tendon hierarchy confer specific mechanical properties, which are related to tendon function.

Keywords

  • Collagen Fibril
  • Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein
  • Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein
  • Myotendinous Junction
  • Tendon Structure

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK

    Chavaunne T. Thorpe & Hazel R. C. Screen

Authors
  1. Chavaunne T. Thorpe
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  2. Hazel R. C. Screen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chavaunne T. Thorpe .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Paul W. Ackermann

  2. McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    David A. Hart

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Thorpe, C.T., Screen, H.R.C. (2016). Tendon Structure and Composition. In: Ackermann, P., Hart, D. (eds) Metabolic Influences on Risk for Tendon Disorders. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 920. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33943-6_1

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