ligament

Click to Play

How to Choose The Best Shoes

Click to Play

The Common Causes of Knee Pain

Click to Play

Alternatives to Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery

Click to Play

Sprain Treatment Options

View more Health videos

For more information on ligament, visit Britannica.com.

A strong, flexible connective tissue band usually found between two bony prominences. Most ligaments are composed of dense fibrous tissue formed by parallel bundles of collagen fibers. They have a shining white appearance and are pliable, strong, and noncompliant. A second kind of ligament, composed either partly or almost entirely of yellow elastic fibers, is extensible or compliant, thereby allowing the connected bones to move apart. See also Connective tissue; Joint (anatomy).

From the Latin for a bond or tie. A sheet or band of tough, inelastic, fibrous connective tissue. Around joints, ligaments form a cuff or ‘capsule’, along with additional strengthening bands outside it (e.g. spanning the sides of the knee), or they link the ends of the bones inside a joint (e.g. the cruciate ligaments, joining the tibia and femur in the knee joint). The edges or ends of such ligaments are fused with the relevant bones. (Not to be confused with tendons, which extend skeletal muscles to their attachments.) Supports in other sites include the broad ligament for the uterus and Fallopian tubes, which attaches them to the pelvic wall, and the suspensory ligaments for a variety of organs (e.g. eyeball, breast, penis).

— Stuart Judge

See also connective tissue; joints.

noun

That which unites or binds: bond, knot, ligature, link, nexus, tie, vinculum, yoke. See connect.

A band of tough fibrous tissue joining two bones together. Ligaments maybe capsular, extrinsic, or intrinsic. Capsular ligaments are thickenings within a fibrous joint capsule. Extrinsic ligaments run between bony joints, around the outside of a synovial cavity. Intrinsic ligaments occur within a synovial cavity and are generally less common than the other types. Ligaments are relatively non-elastic, but flexible enough to allow movement. Their main tasks are to bind bones together, to strengthen and stabilize joints (especially joints, such as the knee and shoulder, where the articulating bones do not fit very tightly together), and to limit joint movement to certain directions. If a ligament is ruptured or subjected to prolonged tensile stresses (e.g. through the performance of overenthusiastic flexibility exercises), joint stability may be reduced.

A kind of fibrous connective tissue that binds bones or cartilage together.

1. a band of fibrous tissue connecting bones or cartilages, serving to support and strengthen joints.
2. a double layer of peritoneum extending from one visceral organ to another.
3. cordlike remnants of fetal tubular structures that are nonfunctional after birth.
The injury suffered when a joint is wrenched with sufficient violence to stretch or tear the ligaments is called a sprain. For a complete list of named ligaments in the body, See also ligamentum.

• accessory l. — one that strengthens or supports another.
• l. arteriosum — fibrous remnant of the ductus arteriosus.
• broad l. — the peritoneal folds by which the uterus is suspended from the wall of the abdomen and pelvis.
• capsular l. — the fibrous layer of a joint capsule.
• cruciate l. — a pair of ligaments which cross over one another, as for example the cranial and caudal cruciate ligaments which tie the femur to the tibia.
• median l. of the bladder — a fold of peritoneum attaching the urinary bladder and urachus to the ventral abdominal wall.
• pectinate l. — a comb-like ligament at the iridocorneal angle.
• phrenicocardial l. — the continuation of the pericardial sac as a ligament attaching to the diaphragm; attaches to the sternum in species where the heart axis is less oblique.
• round l. of the bladder — remnants of the umbilical arteries and their mesenteries in the lateral ligaments of the urinary bladder.
• round l. of the liver — remnants of the umbilical veins found in the falciform ligament in young animals, and the adults of some species.
• round l. of the uterus — part of the gubernaculum of the female extending from the proper ligament of the ovary to the inguinal canal; in some species, e.g. dog, the ligament passes through the inguinal canal and is incriminated in the development of metrocele.
• scrotal l. — vestige of the gubernaculum testis of the fetus; connects the dartos surrounding the testicle to the vaginal tunic of the scrotum.
• l. splitting — a surgical procedure used in horses to stimulate vascularity of a diseased tendon. Through a single key-hole access incision, a series of fan-like incisions are made in the longitudinal axis of the tendon with a special knife.
• sutural l. — a band of fibrous tissue between the opposed bones of a suture or immovable joint.
• l. of the tail of the epididymis — a mesenchymal ligamentous caudal extension of the gubernaculum; a cord which binds the tail of the epididymis to the tunica vaginalis.

Any tough, fibrous connective tissue band that connects bones or supports viscera. Some of the ligaments are distinct fibrous structures, others are folds of fascia or of indurated peritoneum; still others are the relics of unused fetal organs.

• Skeleton - ligament: strong band of fiber that holds bones of joint together
• Tissue, Fiber, and Integumentary System - ligament: strong band of fiber holding bones of joint together

Ligament Latin = ligamenta
Diagram of the right knee.
Typical joint

In anatomy, a ligament is the fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones and is also known as articular ligament, articular larua,^[1] fibrous ligament, or true ligament.

Ligament can also refer to:

• Peritoneal ligament: a fold of peritoneum or other membranes.
• Fetal remnant ligament: the remnants of a tubular structure from the fetal period of life.

The study of ligaments is known as desmology (from Greek δεσμός, desmos, "string"; and -λογία, -logia).

Ligaments are similar to tendons and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, tendons join muscle to bone and fasciae connect muscles to other muscles.

Contents 1 Articular ligaments 1.1 Examples 2 Peritoneal ligaments 3 Fetal remnant ligaments 4 See also 5 References

Articular ligaments

"Ligament" most commonly refers to a band of tough, fibrous dense regular connective tissue comprising attenuated collagenous fibers. Ligaments connect bones to other bones to form a joint. They do not connect muscles to bones; that is the job of tendons. Some ligaments limit the mobility of articulations, or prevent certain movements altogether.

Capsular ligaments are part of the articular capsule that surrounds synovial joints. They act as mechanical reinforcements. Extra-capsular ligaments join together and provide joint stability. Intra-capsular ligaments, which are much less common,^{[citation needed]} also provide stability but permit a far larger range of motion. Cruciate ligaments occur in pairs.

Ligaments are viscoelastic. They gradually lengthen when under tension, and return to their original shape when the tension is removed. However, they cannot retain their original shape when stretched past a certain point or for a prolonged period of time. 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.^{[citation needed]} 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 with more-elastic ligaments, allowing their joints to stretch and contort further. The medical term for describing such double-jointed persons is hyperlaxity.

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 repaired. 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. Instability of a joint can over time lead to wear of the cartilage and eventually to osteoarthritis.

Examples

Head and neck Cricothyroid ligament Periodontal ligament Suspensory ligament of the lens Thorax Suspensory ligament of the breast Pelvis Anterior sacroiliac ligament Posterior sacroiliac ligament Sacrotuberous ligament Sacrospinous ligament Inferior pubic ligament Superior pubic ligament Suspensory ligament of the penis

Wrist Palmar radiocarpal ligament Dorsal radiocarpal ligament Ulnar collateral ligament Radial collateral ligament Knee Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) Lateral collateral ligament (LCL) Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) Medial collateral ligament (MCL) Cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) - quadruped equivalent of ACL Caudal cruciate ligament (CaCL) - quadruped equivalent of PCL Patellar ligament

Peritoneal ligaments

Certain folds of peritoneum are referred to as ligaments. Examples include:

• The hepatoduodenal ligament, that surrounds the hepatic portal vein and other vessels as they travel from the duodenum to the liver.
• The broad ligament of the uterus, also a fold of peritoneum.

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:^{[citation needed]}

Fetal	Adult
ductus arteriosus	ligamentum arteriosum
extra-hepatic portion of the fetal left umbilical vein	ligamentum teres hepatis (the "round ligament of the liver").
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

See also

• Broström procedure

References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010)

1. ^ "ligament" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary

v t e Joints (TA A03.0, TH H3.02, GA 3.284) Types fibrous: Gomphosis · Suture · Syndesmosis · Interosseous membrane cartilaginous: Synchondrosis · Symphysis synovial: Plane joint · 1° (Hinge joint, Pivot joint) · 2° (Condyloid joint, Saddle joint) · 3° (Ball and socket joint) synostosis by range of motion: Synarthrosis · Amphiarthrosis · Diarthrosis Terminology Kinesiology · Anatomical terms of motion · Agonist/Antagonist Motions general: Flexion/Extension · Adduction/Abduction · Internal rotation/External rotation · Elevation/Depression specialized/upper limbs: Protraction/Retraction · Supination/Pronation specialized/lower limbs: Plantarflexion/Dorsiflexion · Eversion/Inversion Components capsular: Articular capsule (Synovial membrane, Fibrous membrane) · Synovial fluid · Synovial bursa · Articular disk/Meniscus extracapsular: Ligament · Enthesis M: JNT anat(h/c, u, t, l)/phys noco(arth/defr/back/soft)/cong, sysi/epon, injr proc, drug(M01C, M4)

v t e Joints and ligaments of head and neck (TA A03.1.03–08, GA 3.287) Temporomandibular capsule · articular disk lateral (temporomandibular ligament) · medial (sphenomandibular ligament, stylomandibular ligament) Atlanto-occipital capsule · membranes (anterior atlantoöccipital membrane · posterior atlantoöccipital membrane) M: JNT anat(h/c, u, t, l)/phys noco(arth/defr/back/soft)/cong, sysi/epon, injr proc, drug(M01C, M4)

v t e Joints and ligaments of upper limbs (TA A03.5, GA 3.313) Shoulder Sternoclavicular Anterior sternoclavicular · Posterior sternoclavicular · Interclavicular · Costoclavicular Acromioclavicular Syndesmoses: Coracoacromial · Superior transverse scapular · Inferior transverse of scapula Synovial: Acromioclavicular · Coracoclavicular (trapezoid, conoid) Glenohumeral Capsule · Coracohumeral · Glenohumeral (superior, middle, and inferior) · Transverse humeral · Glenoid labrum Elbow Humeroradial Radial collateral Humeroulnar Ulnar collateral Proximal radioulnar Anular · Oblique cord Forearm Distal radioulnar Palmar radioulnar · Dorsal radioulnar · Interosseous membrane of forearm Hand Wrist/radiocarpal Dorsal radiocarpal/Palmar radiocarpal · Dorsal ulnocarpal/Palmar ulnocarpal · Ulnar collateral/Radial collateral Intercarpal, midcarpal Radiate carpal · Dorsal intercarpal · Palmar intercarpal · Interosseous intercarpal · Scapholunate · Pisiform joint (Pisohamate, Pisometacarpal) Carpometacarpal Dorsal carpometacarpal · Palmar carpometacarpal · thumb: Radial collateral, Ulnar collateral Intermetacarpal Deep transverse metacarpal · Superficial transverse metacarpal Metacarpophalangeal Collateral · Palmar Interphalangeal Collateral · Palmar Other Carpal tunnel · Ulnar canal M: JNT anat(h/c, u, t, l)/phys noco(arth/defr/back/soft)/cong, sysi/epon, injr proc, drug(M01C, M4)

v t e Joints and ligaments of torso (TA A03.02–04, GA 3.299) Vertebral Syndesmosis Of vertebral bodies anterior longitudinal ligament · posterior longitudinal ligament Of vertebral arches ligamenta flava · supraspinous ligament (nuchal ligament) · interspinal ligament · intertransverse ligament Symphysis intervertebral disc (annulus fibrosus, nucleus pulposus) Synovial joint Atlanto-axial median: Cruciate ligament of atlas (Transverse ligament of atlas) · Alar ligament · Apical ligament of dens · Tectorial membrane of atlanto-axial joint lateral: no ligaments anterior atlantoaxial ligament · posterior atlantoaxial ligament Zygapophysial no ligaments Lumbosacral iliolumbar ligament Sacrococcygeal anterior sacrococcygeal ligament · posterior sacrococcygeal ligament Thorax Costovertebral Head of rib Radiate ligament · Intra-articular ligament Costotransverse Costotransverse ligament · Lumbocostal ligament Sternocostal interarticular sternocostal ligament · radiate sternocostal ligaments · costoxiphoid ligaments Interchondral no ligaments Costochondral no ligaments Pelvis Syndesmoses of pelvic girdle Obturator membrane · Obturator canal Pubic symphysis superior pubic ligament · inferior pubic ligament Sacroiliac anterior sacroiliac ligament · posterior sacroiliac ligament · interosseous sacroiliac ligament ligaments connecting the sacrum and ischium: sacrotuberous ligament · sacrospinous ligament Greater sciatic foramen · Lesser sciatic foramen M: JNT anat(h/c, u, t, l)/phys noco(arth/defr/back/soft)/cong, sysi/epon, injr proc, drug(M01C, M4)

v t e Joints and ligaments of lower limbs (TA A03.6, GA 3.333) Coxal/hip femoral (iliofemoral, pubofemoral, ischiofemoral) · head of femur · transverse acetabular  · acetabular labrum · capsule · zona orbicularis Knee-joint Tibiofemoral Capsule · Anterior meniscofemoral ligament · Posterior meniscofemoral ligament extracapsular: popliteal (oblique, arcuate) · collateral (medial/tibial, fibular/lateral) intracapsular: cruciate (anterior, posterior) · menisci (medial, lateral) · transverse Patellofemoral Patellar ligament · Infrapatellar fat pad Tibiofibular Superior tibiofibular anterior of the head of the fibula · posterior of the head of the fibula Inferior tibiofibular Anterior tibiofibular · Posterior tibiofibular · Interosseous membrane of leg Joints of foot Talocrural/ankle medial: medial of talocrural joint/deltoid (anterior tibiotalar, posterior tibiotalar, tibiocalcaneal, tibionavicular) lateral: lateral collateral of ankle joint (anterior talofibular, posterior talofibular, calcaneofibular) Subtalar/talocalcaneal anterior/posterior · lateral/medial · interosseous Transverse tarsal Talocalcaneonavicular dorsal talonavicular · plantar calcaneonavicular/spring · bifurcated (calcaneonavicular) Calcaneocuboid dorsal calcaneocuboid · long plantar · plantar calcaneocuboid · bifurcated (calcaneocuboid) Distal intertarsal Cuneonavicular plantar · dorsal Cuboideonavicular plantar · dorsal Intercuneiform plantar · dorsal · interosseous Other Tarsometatarsal/Lisfranc plantar · dorsal Intermetatarsal/metatarsal plantar · dorsal · interosseous · superficial transverse · deep transverse Metatarsophalangeal plantar · collateral Interphalangeal plantar · collateral Arches Longitudinal · Transverse M: JNT anat(h/c, u, t, l)/phys noco(arth/defr/back/soft)/cong, sysi/epon, injr proc, drug(M01C, M4)

v t e Abdominopelvic cavity: Abdomen/Abdominal cavity and Pelvis/Pelvic cavity and Peritoneal cavity (TA A10, TH H3.04.08, GA 4.408 and GA 11.1147) Extraperitoneal space Retroperitoneal space Retropubic space Peritoneal ligaments, mesenteries, and folds Abdominal From ventral mesentery Lesser omentum: Hepatoduodenal ligament Hepatogastric ligament Liver: Coronary ligament (Left triangular ligament Right triangular ligament Hepatorenal ligament) Falciform ligament (Round ligament of liver and Ligamentum venosum in it, but not of it) From dorsal mesentery Greater omentum: Gastrophrenic ligament Gastrocolic ligament Gastrosplenic ligament Mesentery: Transverse mesocolon Sigmoid mesocolon Mesoappendix Root of the mesentery Splenorenal ligament Phrenicocolic ligament Folds: Umbilical folds (Supravesical fossa, Medial inguinal fossa, Lateral umbilical fold, Lateral inguinal fossa) Ileocecal fold Abdominal cavity Greater sac Omental bursa Omental foramen General Cystohepatic triangle Hepatorenal recess of subhepatic space Abdominal wall (Inguinal triangle) Peritoneal recesses: Paracolic gutters Paramesenteric gutters Urogenital peritoneum Uterus/ovaries Broad ligament of the uterus (Mesovarium, Mesosalpinx, Mesometrium) Ovarian ligament Suspensory ligament of the ovary Recesses ♂: Recto-vesical pouch Pararectal fossa ♀: Recto-uterine pouch Recto-uterine fold (Uterosacral ligament) Vesico-uterine pouch Ovarian fossa Paravesical fossa M: DIG anat(t, g, p)/phys/devp/enzy noco/cong/tumr, sysi/epon proc, drug(A2A/2B/3/4/5/6/7/14/16), blte

v t e Fetal vascular remnant ligaments (GA 6) Heart Ligamentum arteriosum Liver Round ligament of liver · Ligamentum venosum Umbilical Medial umbilical ligament (see also Median umbilical ligament and Lateral umbilical fold)

v t e Histology: connective tissue (TH H2.00.03) Composition Cells Resident Fibroblast · Fibrocyte · Reticular cell · Tendon cell Adipocyte Melanocyte Wandering cell Mast cell · Macrophage Extracellular matrix (noncellular) Ground substance Tissue fluid Fibers Collagen fibers Reticular fibers: COL3A1 Elastic fibers: Elastin · Fibrillin (FBN1, FBN2, FBN3) · EMILIN1 Elaunin Classification Connective tissue proper Loose Reticular · Adipose (Brown, White) Dense Dense irregular connective tissue (Submucosa, Dermis) · Dense regular connective tissue (Ligament, Tendon, Aponeurosis) Embryonic Mucoid · Mesenchymal Specialized Cartilage · Bone Related Soft tissue see also Template:Soft tissue tumors and sarcomas M: INT, SF, LCT anat/phys/devp noco(i/b/d/q/u/r/p/m/k/v/f)/cong/tumr(n/e/d), sysi/epon proc, drug (D2/3/4/5/8/11) M: MUS, DF+DRCT anat (h/n, u, t/d, a/p, l)/phys/devp/hist noco(m, s, c)/cong(d)/tumr, sysi/epon, injr proc, drug (M1A/3)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - bånd, ledbånd

Nederlands (Dutch)
bindweefsel, gewrichtsband

Français (French)
n. - ligament

Deutsch (German)
n. - (Anat.) Band

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ανατ.) σύνδεσμος

Italiano (Italian)
legamento

Português (Portuguese)
n. - ligamento (m)

Русский (Russian)
связь, связка

Español (Spanish)
n. - ligamento

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (anat.) ligament, (förenings)band

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
系带, 纽带, 韧带

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 繫帶, 紐帶, 韌帶

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 인대, 끈 , 유대

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 靭帯, きずな

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رباط, رابطه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מיתר (המחבר עצמות)‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.