Musculoskeletal Growth/Injury and Repair - Bone and Tendon Flashcards
What are ligaments?
•Dense bands of collagenous tissue - often condensations of joint capsules
What do ligaments span and where are they anchored?
- Span a joint
* Anchored to the bone at either end
What is the function of ligaments?
Maintain joint stability through a range of motion
How do ligaments allow a range of stable movements?
- Different portions of ligaments tensions at different joint positions
- Multiple ligaments over a joint
Describe the structure of a ligament
- They are made from collagen fibres (type 1)
- They contain fibroblasts
- They have sensory fibres - proprioception, stretch and sensory
- They have vessels on the surface - they can bruise
- They are crimped to allow stretch
What are the difference between tendons and ligaments?
•COMPOSITION •Ligaments have: -lower percentage of collagen -higher percentage of water and proteoglycans -less organised than collagen fibres -rounder fibroblasts
Why do ligament ruptures occur?
•Forces exceed the strength of the ligament - can be expected, unexpected, rate of load
What 2 kinds of ligament rupture can occur?
- Complete - exceed strength of ligament
* Incomplete - partially exceed strength of ligament
What can be the outcome of ligament rupture?
- Loss of joint stability
* Loss of proprioception
What are the 3 phases of ligament healing?
- Haemorrhage
- Proliferative phase
- Remodelling
Describe the haemorrhage phase
- Blood clot
- Reabsorbed
- Replaced with heavy cellular infiltrate
- Hypertrophic vascular response
Describe the proliferative phase
- Production of scar tissue
* Disorganised collagenous connective tissue
Describe the remodelling phase
- Matrix becomes more ligament-like
* Major differences in composition, architecture and function persist
Why might a ligament rupture treated conservatively (non-operatively)?
- Partial rupture
- No instability
- Poor candidate for surgery
Why might a ligament rupture treated operatively?
- Instability
- Expectation - sportsmen
- Compulsory - multiple
What operative procedures are available for tendon repair?
- Open repair
- Augmentation - with tapes
- Replacement - can be done with tendon
How are muscles and tendons connected?
Muscle origin (from bone) ->muscle belly -> musculotendinous junction -> tendon (with tendinous sheath) -> tendinous insertion (with Sharpey’s fibres)
What may a tendon have within it?
A sesamoid bone e.g. the patella
Describe the structure of a tendon
- Longitudinal arrangement of cells and fibres
- Collagen bundles covered by ENDOTENON
- Fascicles covered by PARATENON
- Tendon covered by EPITENON
What are the types of cells and fibres present in tendons?
- Cells - mostly tenocytes
* Fibres - collagen type 1 (triple helix)
Describe the blood supply to tendons?
- Doesn’t run down the length of tendon like in bone
* Blood comes through vincula and the paratenon
How are tendons connected to their sheath?
By vincula
How do the tendon sheath maintain lubrication and nutrition?
•Synovial lining and fluid production
What is the function of tendons?
To pull on bones to bend joints and provide propulsion
What happens if tendons are immobile for a length of time?
•Reduction in water content and glycosaminoglycan concentration and strength
How might tendons become injured?
- Degenerations
- Inflammation
- Enthesiopathy - issues around where tendons fix into bones
- Traction apophysitis - in children
- Avulsion ± bone fragment
- Tear - intrasubstance (rupture)
- Tear - musculotendinous junction
- Laceration/incision