"Ligament" most commonly refers to a band of
dense regular connective tissue bundles made of
collagenous fibers, with bundles protected by
dense irregular connective tissue sheaths. Ligaments connect bones to other bones to form
joints, while
tendons connect bone to
muscle. Some ligaments limit the mobility of articulations or prevent certain movements altogether. Capsular ligaments are part of the
articular capsule that surrounds
synovial joints. They act as mechanical reinforcements. Extra-capsular ligaments join in harmony with the other ligaments and provide joint stability. Intra-capsular ligaments, which are much less common, also provide stability but permit a far larger range of motion.
Cruciate ligaments are paired ligaments in the form of a cross. This is one reason why
dislocated joints must be set as quickly as possible: if the ligaments lengthen too much, then the joint will be weakened, becoming prone to future dislocations.
Athletes, gymnasts, dancers, and martial artists perform stretching exercises to lengthen their ligaments, making their joints more supple. The term
hypermobility refers to the characteristic of people with more-elastic ligaments, allowing their joints to stretch and contort further; this is sometimes still called
double-jointedness. The consequence of a broken ligament can be instability of the joint. Not all broken ligaments need surgery, but, if surgery is needed to stabilise the joint, the broken ligament can be repaired.
Scar tissue may prevent this. If it is not possible to fix the broken ligament, other procedures such as the
Brunelli procedure can correct the instability. Instability of a joint can over time lead to wear of the cartilage and eventually to
osteoarthritis.
Artificial ligaments One of the most often torn ligaments in the body is the
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The ACL is one of the ligaments crucial to knee stability and persons who tear their ACL often undergo reconstructive surgery, which can be done through a variety of techniques and materials. One of these techniques is the replacement of the ligament with an artificial material.
Artificial ligaments are a synthetic material composed of a polymer, such as polyacrylonitrile fiber,
polypropylene, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), or polyNaSS poly (sodium styrene sulfonate).
Examples There are about 900 ligaments in an average adult human body, of which about 25 are listed here. ==Peritoneal ligaments==