Ligamentaire

Ligamentaire is an adjective in French that relates to ligaments, the fibrous bands that connect bones to other bones or cartilage and help stabilize joints. In anatomy and medicine, the term describes structures, conditions, or processes involving ligaments. In English, the equivalent term is ligamentous.

Ligaments are composed mainly of dense regular connective tissue with parallel collagen fibers, predominantly type I collagen. They contain fibroblasts and a limited number of blood vessels and nerves, which gives them a characteristic great strength in tension but slow healing after injury. Their viscoelastic properties allow them to stretch slightly under load and return to their original length when the force dissipates.

The primary role of ligaments is to stabilize joints by resisting tensile forces, guiding movement, and limiting excessive or abnormal motions. They can be intrinsic to a joint, forming part of the joint capsule (capsular ligaments), or extracapsular, located outside the capsule. Major ligaments vary by joint; for example, the knee features the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments along with the medial and lateral collateral ligaments.

Injury to ligaments ranges from sprains to complete tears and is often graded I to III by severity. Healing is slower than bone healing due to limited vascular supply. Management may include rest, immobilization, and physical therapy; surgical reconstruction is considered in cases of severe instability or functional impairment, such as significant damage to the ACL. Imaging like MRI is commonly used to assess ligament integrity.