What really is the difference between tendons, ligaments and muscle?
It’s super important to know the difference between these 3. By knowing which is which, it’ll help you truly understand your body, your weak points, and what may be wrong when you get injured. I’m sure you’ve tweaked something internally and thought “is it a tendon, ligament, muscle strain, etc.?” but were unsure. Knowing the difference may help you narrow it down and allow you to treat the area properly and recover faster!
Muscle- Technically there are 3 types of muscles; cardiac, smooth, and skeletal. Cardiac and smooth muscles work without us even thinking about them. Skeletal muscles are the ones we really care about as far as working out goes. They are used to move the body and can be voluntarily controlled. Think big muscle groups. For example our quads, hamstrings and calves are being activated while we walk.
Tendons– These connect your muscles and bones. They are made up of fibers that run parallel to each other, providing support and elasticity to your movements. However, they can be quite fragile, so when you overwork or overstretch a tendon, you can cause a strain. An example of this is your achilles tendon. It attaches your heel to your calf muscle.
Ligaments– These connect your bones to other bones. Unlike tendons, ligaments intertwine to create a strong system that supports a flexible and stable bone structure. Overstretching or tearing ligaments can lead to sprains. This usually occurs after a fall, blow to the surrounding bones or an awkward movement/landing. An example of this is your ACL or MCL in your knee. That’s why we see a lot of athletes who play sports involving a lot of running or quick sharp movements have knee issues. One awkward shift and a ligament can be injured.
By understanding the difference, you can now narrow down what may be injured. This can help speed up your recovery process tremendously!. This doesn’t mean you are a doctor though so if you’re in a lot of pain, see a professional!
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