What are tendons & ligaments?
Tendons, composed of collagen fibers, connect muscle to bone making it possible for you to perform everyday physical activities. Overuse or damage to tendons over a long period of time causes the collagen fibers in tendons to form small tears, a condition called tendinosis. Damage most often occurs in the knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, wrist, biceps, calf, hamstrings and Achilles tendons. Ligaments are also composed of collagen fibers, connecting bone to bone (i.e. joints: ankles, knees, shoulders, spine, etc.), stabilizing the joint and controlling the range of motion. A damaged ligament is no longer able to provide support, weakening the joints and shifting the burden of support to muscles (and then to the tendons) which should primarily act as movement engines. Tendons and ligaments have poor blood supply particularly where they connect to bone (entheses). Once injured (sprains or strains) they do not heal easily and the damage progresses with the stress of the day-to-day activities.
