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Ligaments connect bone to bone. In anatomy
Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology that is the consideration of the body plan. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy ....
, the term ligament is used to denote three different types of structures:
  1. Fibrous tissue that connects bone
    Bone

    Bones are rigid organ that form part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They function to move, support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red blood cell and white blood cells and store minerals....
    s to other bones. They are sometimes called "articular ligaments", "fibrous ligaments", or "true ligaments".
  2. A fold of peritoneum
    Peritoneum

    In higher vertebrates, the peritoneum is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdomen — it covers most of the intra-abdominal organs....
     or other membrane
  3. The remnants of a tubular structure from the fetal
    Fetus

    A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate, after the embryonic stage and before childbirth. The plural is fetuses, or sometimes feti....
     period of life


The first meaning is most commonly what is meant by the term "ligament".






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Ligaments connect bone to bone. In anatomy
Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology that is the consideration of the body plan. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy ....
, the term ligament is used to denote three different types of structures:
  1. Fibrous tissue that connects bone
    Bone

    Bones are rigid organ that form part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They function to move, support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red blood cell and white blood cells and store minerals....
    s to other bones. They are sometimes called "articular ligaments", "fibrous ligaments", or "true ligaments".
  2. A fold of peritoneum
    Peritoneum

    In higher vertebrates, the peritoneum is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdomen — it covers most of the intra-abdominal organs....
     or other membrane
  3. The remnants of a tubular structure from the fetal
    Fetus

    A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate, after the embryonic stage and before childbirth. The plural is fetuses, or sometimes feti....
     period of life


The first meaning is most commonly what is meant by the term "ligament". After briefly discussing the other two types of ligaments, the remainder of this article will focus upon the first type.

The study of ligaments is known as desmology (from Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
 , desmos, "string"; and , -logia
-logy

-logy is a suffix in English language, found in words originally adapted from Ancient Greek words ending in -????a . The earliest English examples were anglicizations of the French language -logie, which was in turn inherited from the Latin language -logia....
).

Peritoneal ligaments

Certain folds of peritoneum
Peritoneum

In higher vertebrates, the peritoneum is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdomen — it covers most of the intra-abdominal organs....
 are referred to as ligaments.

Examples include:

  • The hepatoduodenal ligament
    Hepatoduodenal ligament

    The hepatoduodenal ligament is the portion of the lesser omentum extending between the porta hepatis of the liver and the first part of the duodenum....
     surrounds the hepatic portal vein
    Hepatic portal vein

    The hepatic portal vein is a vein in the abdominal cavity that drains blood from the gastrointestinal tract and spleen. It is usually formed by the confluence of the superior mesenteric vein and splenic veins, and also receives blood from the inferior mesenteric vein, gastric vein, and cystic veins....
     and other vessels as they travel from the duodenum
    Duodenum

    The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear and the terms anterior intestine or proximal intestine may be used instead of duodenum....
     to the liver
    Liver

    The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals; it has a wide range of functions, a few of which are detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion....
    .
  • The broad ligament of the uterus
    Broad ligament of the uterus

    The broad ligament of the uterus is the wide fold of peritoneum that connects the sides of the uterus to the walls and floor of the pelvis....
     is also a fold of peritoneum.
  • The suspensory ligament of the ovary
    Suspensory ligament of the ovary

    The suspensory ligament of the ovary, also infundibulopelvic ligament , is a fold of peritoneum that extends out from the ovary to the wall of the pelvis....


Fetal remnant ligaments

Certain tubular structures from the fetal period are referred to as ligaments after they close up and turn into cord-like structures:

Fetal Adult >- |ductus arteriosus
Ductus arteriosus

In the developing fetus, the ductus arteriosus is a shunt connecting the pulmonary artery to the aorta that allows most of the blood from the right ventricle to bypass the fetus' fluid-filled lungs....
 		 ligamentum arteriosum
Ligamentum arteriosum

The ligamentum arteriosum is a small ligament attached to the superior surface of the pulmonary trunk and the inferior surface of the aortic arch....
 |- | extra-hepatic portion of the fetal left umbilical vein
Umbilical vein

The umbilical vein is a blood vessel present during fetal development that carries oxygenated blood from the placenta to the growing fetus....
 		 ligamentum teres hepatis (the "round ligament of the liver"). |- | intra-hepatic portion of the fetal left umbilical vein (the ductus venosus
Ductus venosus

In the fetus, the ductus venosus shunts a significant majority of the blood flow of the umbilical vein directly to the inferior vena cava. Thus, it allows oxygenated blood from the placenta to bypass the liver....
) 		ligamentum venosum
Ligamentum venosum

The ligamentum venosum is the fibrous remnant of the ductus venosus of the fetal circulation. Usually, it is attached to the left branch of the portal vein within the porta hepatis of the liver....
 |- | distal portions of the fetal left and right umbilical arteries 		medial umbilical ligaments


Articular ligaments

Gray298
In its most common use, a ligament is a short band of tough fibrous dense regular connective tissue
Connective tissue

Connective tissue is a form of fibrous biological tissue.It is one of the four types of tissue in traditional classifications .Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% of the total protein content....
 composed mainly of long, stringy collagen
Collagen

Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content....
 fibers. Ligaments connect bones to other bones to form a joint
Joint

A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally....
. (They do not connect muscle
MUSCLE

MUSCLE is public domain, multiple sequence alignment software for protein and nucleotide sequences.MUSCLE is integrated into UGENE bioinformatics tool as a plugin....
s to bones; that is the function of tendon
Tendon

A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension . Tendons are similar to ligaments except that ligaments join one bone to another....
s.) Some ligaments limit the mobility of articulations, or prevent certain movements altogether.

Capsular ligaments are part of the articular capsule that surrounds synovial joints. They act as mechanical reinforcements. Extra-capsular ligaments join bones together and provide joint
Joint

A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally....
 stability.

Ligaments are only elastic; when under tension, they gradually lengthen. (Unlike tendons which are inelastic). This is one reason why dislocated
Dislocation (medicine)

Joint dislocation, or luxation , occurs when bones in a joint become displaced or misaligned. It is often caused by a sudden impact to the joint....
 joints must be set as quickly as possible: if the ligaments lengthen too much, then the joint will be weakened, becoming prone to future dislocations. Athletes, gymnasts, dancers, and martial artists perform stretching exercises to lengthen their ligaments, making their joints more supple. The term double-jointed refers to people who have more elastic ligaments, allowing their joints to stretch and contort further. The medical term for describing such double-jointed persons is hyperlaxity and double-jointed is a synonym of hyperlax.

The consequence of a broken ligament can be instability of the joint. Not all broken ligaments need surgery, but if surgery is needed to stabilise the joint, the broken ligament can be joined. Scar tissue may prevent this. If it is not possible to fix the broken ligament, other procedures such as the Brunelli Procedure
Brunelli Procedure

The Brunelli Procedure is a surgical procedure that can be used to correct instability in the wrist. Instability in the wrist can be caused by a torn Scapholunate ligament....
 can correct the instability. Instability of a joint can over time lead to wear of the cartilage and eventually to osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis , is a group of diseases and mechanical abnormalities entailing degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and the subchondral bone next to it....
.

Examples:


Knee
  • Anterior cruciate ligament
    Anterior cruciate ligament

    The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It connects from a posterio-lateral part of the femur to an anterio-medial part of the tibia....
     (ACL)
  • Lateral collateral ligament (LCL)
  • Posterior cruciate ligament
    Posterior cruciate ligament

    The posterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It connects the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the Medial condyle of femur of the femur....
     (PCL)
  • Medial collateral ligament
    Medial collateral ligament

    The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the Human_anatomical_terms#Anatomical_directions side of the knee joint in humans and other primates....
     (MCL)
  • Cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) - quadruped
    Quadruped

    Quadrupedalism is a form of Terrestrial locomotion in animals using four limbs or leg . An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet" ....
     equivalent of ACL
  • Caudal cruciate ligament (CaCL) - quadruped
    Quadruped

    Quadrupedalism is a form of Terrestrial locomotion in animals using four limbs or leg . An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet" ....
     equivalent of PCL


Head and neck
  • Cricothyroid ligament
    Cricothyroid ligament

    The cricothyroid ligament is the larger part of the larynx membrane, continuing inferiorly as a median or anterior part and twin lateral ligaments....
  • Periodontal ligament
    Periodontal ligament

    The periodontal ligament, commonly abbreviated as the PDL is a group of specialized connective tissue fibers that essentially attach a tooth to the alveolar bone within which it sits....
  • Suspensory ligament of the lens


Pelvis
  • Anterior sacroiliac ligament
    Anterior sacroiliac ligament

    The anterior sacroiliac ligament consists of numerous thin bands, which connect the anterior surface of the lateral part of the sacrum to the margin of the auricular surface of the ilium and to the preauricular sulcus....
  • Posterior sacroiliac ligament
    Posterior sacroiliac ligament

    The posterior sacroiliac ligament is situated in a deep depression between the sacrum and ilium behind; it is strong and forms the chief bond of union between the bones....
  • Sacrotuberous ligament
    Sacrotuberous ligament

    The sacrotuberous ligament is situated at the lower and back part of the pelvis. It is flat, and triangular in form; narrower in the middle than at the ends....
  • Sacrospinous ligament
    Sacrospinous ligament

    The sacrospinous ligament is thin, triangular ligament attached by its apex to the ischial spine, and medially, by its broad base, to the lateral margins of the sacrum and coccyx, in front of the sacrotuberous ligament with which its fibers are intermingled....
  • Inferior pubic ligament
    Inferior pubic ligament

    The inferior pubic ligament is a thick, triangular arch of ligamentous fibers, connecting together the two pubic bones below, and forming the upper boundary of the pubic arch....
  • Superior pubic ligament
    Superior pubic ligament

    The superior pubic ligament connects together the two pubic bones superiorly, extending laterally as far as the pubic tubercles....
  • Suspensory ligament of the penis
    Suspensory ligament of the penis

    In males, the suspensory ligament of the penis is attached to the pubic symphysis, which holds the penis close to the pubic bone and supports it when erection....


Thorax
  • Suspensory ligament of the breast


Wrist
  • See Wrist Ligaments


See also
  • Joint
    Joint

    A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally....
  • Brostrom procedure


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