Biology · Ch 10 — Animal Tissue
Dense Connective Tissue
10.3.2
Dense Connective Tissue
Dense connective tissue has its fibres and fibroblasts packed compactly together, unlike the loose arrangement of areolar tissue. Two kinds are recognised:
Dense regular connective tissue: here the collagen fibres run in a parallel arrangement, giving the tissue great tensile strength along one direction. Its two chief examples are:
- Tendons, which connect skeletal muscle to bone. Tendons are built of bundles of white (collagen) fibres, which supply the tensile strength needed to transmit a muscle's pull to the bone (e.g. the Achilles tendon, hamstring tendon).
- Ligaments, which are made of elastic (yellow) fibres arranged in a similarly regular pattern. This gives ligaments their elasticity. Ligaments are found at joints, where they hold the bones in place and prevent dislocation. …
Figure 10.11Ligament (and Tendon) at a Joint
What this figure shows. A simplified joint diagram showing the ends of two bones (an epiphyseal bone end and an adjoining bone) held together across the joint by a band-like ligament, with a tendon (thick fibrous cord) shown running from an extensor muscle over the joint to its bony attachment, and a second tendon similarly connecting a flexor muscle o …