What is a Ligament?

Answer:
A ligament is a short band of flexible tissue

that is made up of individual fibres. A ligament is much like an elastic band and is essential in connecting our bones together.

When we use our muscles to move our limbs, the ligaments stretch, allowing for the movement. Ligaments can be found connecting most of the bones in our body.

There are three basic types of ligaments that people possess. There are Peritoneal Ligaments, which are made of folds of peritoneum. There are the Fetal Remnant Ligaments, which are generally found in babies and young children.

However, the ligaments that most people associate the term with are the Articular Ligaments that are found in the joints connecting our bones together.

Athletes perform stretching routines in order to lengthen their ligaments and make them more flexible. This provides the joints with a greater range of motion and reduces the risk of injury during high impact activities.

If someone is "double jointed" this means that their ligaments are naturally more elastic than normal. This extra elasticity allows some of the joints to stretch beyond their normal limit.


	more Q&A sessions like this
	What is Trigger Thumb and Trigger Finger? What is a tendon? What is a warm up routine? What is a sprain? What is a Muscle Spasm? What is Tendinitis? What is a torn Meniscus? What is Calcium? What is osteoporosis? What are the Quadriceps?