Tendon

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Tendon, in anatomy, extremely strong cord that is flexible but does not stretch, made of large bundles of white, fibrous protein known as collagen. A tendon joins a muscle with a bone or another muscle.

A tendon delivers the pulling force of a muscle to a bone, which makes body motion possible. A tendon attached to a bone is cylindrical while one connected to a flat muscle on the wall of the abdomen is a wide sheet of fibers. The tendons in the hands, wrists, and feet are enclosed in protective membranes and lubricated by a fluid to prevent excessive friction. A larger tendon includes a system of nerves that registers pain when the tendon is squeezed, and triggers a reflex contraction in the adjoining muscle when the tendon is stretched.

The Achilles tendon, which extends from midcalf to the heel, is the thickest and strongest tendon in the human body. Rupture of this tendon is a serious injury that most commonly affects athletes participating in events involving sprinting and jumping. Rupture of a tendon in the finger can result in deformity of the hand.

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