title: [Anatomy and pathology of tendons].
abstract: Taking into account its detailed morphology, an attempt has been made to explain a tendon's ability to transmit force between its muscular origin and skeletal insertion. This ability depends upon the aggregation and binding capacity of the molecular elements of type I collagen and is known to decrease with advancing age. The internal structure of a tendon is modified both at the muscle-tendon junction and near its attachment to bone. The very low elasticity of tendinous tissue (about 3% to 8%) is due partly to the texture (pseudo-elasticity) and partly to the molecular composition. The so-called degenerative changes in a tendon begin with deterioration of the internal vascular network and are obviously--so far as its failing capacity is concerned--both initiated and accelerated by the degree of over-loading.
authors.affiliation: Anatomische Anstalt (Lehrstuhl I), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Putz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Müller-Gerbl
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D004548:Elasticity; D006801:Humans; D008465:Mechanoreceptors; D012038:Regeneration; D013710:Tendons / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen