Is aging necessarily associated with a deterioration of tendons and ligaments?
What is the best prevention? This is an important question because age-related changes in tendons and ligaments lead to decreased mobility and an increased incidence of injuries in the elderly. The short answer to the question is that tendons and ligaments do inevitably undergo changes that in later life may significantly impair function, but the speed and extent of these changes can be much reduced. Aging is a normal life-long process, beginning at conception. During life, the various tissues of the body develop with time so as to attain their optimal structure and function, but they then tend progressively to undergo the changes we associate with growing old. Tendons and ligaments are no exception. They both consist predominantly of collagen, a fibrous protein whose long molecules are closely packed in parallel bundles. In babies this molecular structure confers great flexibility and thus a wide range of joint movement. With age, under the action of certain enzymes, collagen strands
