liggament

Liggament is commonly misspelled for ligament. The ligament is a band of fibrous connective tissue that connects bones across a joint, stabilizing the joint and guiding its movement.

Ligaments are primarily dense regular connective tissue. They consist largely of aligned type I collagen fibers produced by fibroblasts, with a small amount of elastin and proteoglycans. The collagen orientation gives high tensile strength in the direction of stretch. Blood supply is relatively poor, especially in the central portion, and nutrition occurs mainly through diffusion from surrounding tissues. Insertion points may contain fibrocartilage to tolerate compressive forces.

Ligaments stabilize joints, restrict harmful motions, and contribute proprioceptive feedback through nerve endings. They can be classified as capsular ligaments (part of the joint capsule), extracapsular ligaments (outside the joint capsule), and intracapsular ligaments (inside the joint space). Examples include the knee cruciate ligaments, collateral ligaments, and ligaments of the spine.

Ligaments are prone to sprains or ruptures after rapid or excessive loading. Healing is slow due to limited blood flow and often results in scar tissue with altered mechanical properties; severe injuries may require surgical repair or reconstruction and physical therapy to restore function.

In humans, age, activity, and genetics influence ligament strength and injury risk, and different ligaments have varying roles in stabilizing specific joints throughout the body.