Ligament
A ligament is the fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones. It is also known as articular ligament, articular larua, fibrous ligament, or true ligament. Other ligaments in the body include the:
- Peritoneal ligament: a fold of peritoneum or other membranes.
- Fetal remnant ligament: the remnants of a fetal tubular structure.
- Periodontal ligament: a group of fibers that attach the cementum of teeth to the surrounding alveolar bone.
| Ligament | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| System | Musculoskeletal system |
| Function | Connect bones to other bones; maintain position of organs |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | ligamentum (Plural: ligamenta) |
| MeSH | D008022 |
| TA98 | A03.0.00.034 |
| FMA | 30319 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Ligaments are similar to tendons and fasciae as they are all made of connective tissue. 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. Ligaments cannot usually be regenerated naturally; however, there are periodontal ligament stem cells located near the periodontal ligament which are involved in the adult regeneration of periodontist ligament.
The study of ligaments is known as desmology.