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An example of their use is in tendons, [3] which connect muscle to bone and derive their strength from the regular, longitudinal arrangement of bundles of collagen fibers. Ligaments bind bone to bone and are similar in structure to tendons. [4]
Tendons attach skeletal muscles to bones; ligaments connect bones to bones at joints. Ligaments are more stretchy and contain more elastic fibers than tendons. Dense connective tissue also make up the lower layers of the skin (dermis), where it is arranged in sheets. [ 2 ]
The matrix is hardened by the binding of inorganic mineral salt, calcium phosphate, in a chemical arrangement known as bone mineral, a form of calcium apatite. [8] [9] It is the mineralization that gives bones rigidity. Bone is actively constructed and remodeled throughout life by specialized bone cells known as osteoblasts and osteoclasts.
Only skeletal and smooth muscles are part of the musculoskeletal system and only the muscles can move the body. Cardiac muscles are found in the heart and are used only to circulate blood; like the smooth muscles, these muscles are not under conscious control. Skeletal muscles are attached to bones and arranged in opposing groups around joints. [8]
[23]: 171 They are found in the walls of large blood vessels and in certain ligaments, particularly in the ligamenta flava. [23]: 173 In hematopoietic and lymphatic tissues, reticular fibers made by reticular cells provide the stroma—or structural support—for the parenchyma (that is, the bulk of functional substance) of the organ.
Tough bundles of collagen called collagen fibers are a major component of the extracellular matrix that supports most tissues and gives cells structure from the outside, but collagen is also found inside certain cells. Collagen has great tensile strength, and is the main component of fascia, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bone and skin.
A group of muscle stem cells known as myosatellite cells, also satellite cells are found between the basement membrane and the sarcolemma of muscle fibers. These cells are normally quiescent but can be activated by exercise or pathology to provide additional myonuclei for muscle growth or repair.
Ligaments are similar to tendons and fasciae as they are all made of connective tissue. [2] The differences among them are in the connections that they make: ligaments connect one bone to another bone, tendons connect muscle to bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other muscles. These are all found in the skeletal system of the human body.