A tendon (or sinew) is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone, or muscle to muscle and is designed to withstand tension.

Tendons are similar to ligaments except that ligaments join one bone to another.

Tendons and muscles work together and can only exert a pulling force.

Most of the strength of tendon is due to the vertical, hierarchical arrangement of densely-packed collagen fibrils.

Tendon length varies in all major groups and from monkey to person.

Tendon length is practically the discerning factor where muscle size and potential muscle size is concerned.

For example, a man with a 1 centimetre biceps tendon will have greater potential for muscle mass than a man with a longer tendon.

Bodybuilders will generally have short tendons and are said to have 'great genetics', however not all bodybuilders are blessed with short tendons.

For more information about the topic Tendon, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Collagen — Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in mammals. It is one of the long, fibrous structural ...  > read more

Carpal tunnel — In the human wrist there is a sheath of tough connective tissue which envelopes and protects one nerve and tendons, which attach muscles to the wrist ...  > read more

Vitreous humour — Vitreous humour (British spelling) or Vitreous humor (US spelling) is the clear aqueous solution that fills the space between the lens and the retina ...  > read more

Cartilage — Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue. Cartilage is composed of cells called chondrocytes which are dispersed in a firm gel-like ground ...  > read more

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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