"to muscle tightening for example if after fracture when immobilization is done by putting plaster of paris the muscle length shortens because the muscle is not used for a large span of time. Joints are usually immobilized in a shortened position resulting in changes within the joint connective tissue, and the length of the muscle and associated tendon. Prolonged immobilization facilitates tissue proliferation which impinges on the joint space. Maintaining a shortened position for a prolonged period of time leads to: fibrous adhesion formation, loss of sarcomeres, and a loss of tissue extensibility. If spasticity is left untreated, contractures can"
"Deep fascia Deep fascia (or investing fascia) is a fascia, a layer of dense connective tissue which can surround individual muscles, and also surround groups of muscles to separate into fascial compartments. This fibrous connective tissue interpenetrates and surrounds the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels of the body. It provides connection and communication in the form of aponeuroses, ligaments, tendons, retinacula, joint capsules, and septa. The deep fasciae envelop all bone (periosteum and endosteum); cartilage (perichondrium), and blood vessels (tunica externa) and become specialized in muscles (epimysium, perimysium, and endomysium) and nerves (epineurium, perineurium, and endoneurium). The high density"
"Fascia A fascia (; plural fasciae ; adjective fascial; from Latin: ""band"") is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs. Fascia is classified by layer, as ""superficial fascia"", deep fascia, and ""visceral"" or ""parietal"" fascia, or by its function and anatomical location. Like ligaments, aponeuroses, and tendons, fascia is made up of fibrous connective tissue containing closely packed bundles of collagen fibers oriented in a wavy pattern parallel to the direction of pull. Fascia is consequently flexible and able to resist great unidirectional tension"
"Fibrous joint Fibrous joints are connected by dense connective tissue, consisting mainly of collagen. These are fixed joints where bones are united by a layer of white fibrous tissue of varying thickness. In the skull the joints between the bones are called sutures. Such immovable joints are also referred to as synarthroses. Most fibrous joints are also called ""fixed"" or ""immovable"". These joints have no joint cavity and are connected via fibrous connective tissue. The skull bones are connected by fibrous joints called sutures. In fetal skulls the sutures are wide to allow slight movement during birth. They later become"
"tendons. In turn, the tendons connect to the periosteum layer surrounding the bones, permitting the transfer of force from the muscles to the skeleton. Together, these fibrous layers, along with tendons and ligaments, constitute the deep fascia of the body. The muscular system consists of all the muscles present in a single body. There are approximately 650 skeletal muscles in the human body, but an exact number is difficult to define. The difficulty lies partly in the fact that different sources group the muscles differently and partly in that some muscles, such as palmaris longus, are not always present. A"
"Lumbar fascia The lumbar fascia is an anatomic structure of the lumbar region. It consists of a band or sheet of connective tissue fibres, primarily collagen, that attaches, stabilizes, encloses and separates muscles not limited to the lumbar region as the name suggests, but extending upwards over the thorax to the neck and downwards over the muscles covering the sacrum. The upper thoracic portion is thin while the lumbar and sacral regions are thicker and stronger. The lumbar fascia binds the deep muscles of the back to the spine and to the transverse processes of the vertebrae. Additionally the lumbar"
"called focal adhesions) in the cell membrane of the smooth muscle cell, called the sarcolemma. The adherens junctions consist of large number of proteins including α-actinin, vinculin and cytoskeletal actin. The adherens junctions are scattered around ""dense bands"" that are circumfering the smooth muscle cell in a rib-like pattern. The dense band (or dense plaques) areas alternate with regions of membrane containing numerous caveolae. When complexes of actin and myosin contract, force is transduced to the sarcolemma through intermediate filaments attaching to such dense bands. During contraction, there is a spatial reorganization of the contractile machinery to optimize force development."
"Corpus callosum The corpus callosum (Latin for ""tough body""), also callosal commissure, is a wide, thick, nerve tract consisting of a flat bundle of commissural fibers, beneath the cerebral cortex in the brain. The corpus callosum is only found in placental mammals. It spans part of the longitudinal fissure, connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres, enabling communication between them. It is the largest white matter structure in the human brain, about ten centimetres in length and consisting of 200–300 million axonal projections. A number of separate nerve tracts, classed as subregions, of the corpus callosum connect different parts of"
"Brachial fascia The brachial fascia (deep fascia of the arm) is continuous with that covering the deltoideus and the pectoralis major muscle, by means of which it is attached, above, to the clavicle, acromion, and spine of the scapula; it forms a thin, loose, membranous sheath for the muscles of the arm, and sends septa between them; it is composed of fibers disposed in a circular or spiral direction, and connected together by vertical and oblique fibers. It differs in thickness at different parts, being thin over the biceps brachii, but thicker where it covers the triceps brachii, and over"
"from ""soma"", body, it thus makes a desmosome a ""binding body"". Desmosomes are one of the stronger cell-to-cell adhesion types and are found in tissue that experience intense mechanical stress, such as cardiac muscle tissue, bladder tissue, gastrointestinal mucosa, and epithelia. Desmosomes are composed of desmosome-intermediate filament complexes (DIFC), which is a network of cadherin proteins, linker proteins and keratin intermediate filaments. The DIFCs can be broken into three regions: the extracellular core region, or desmoglea, the outer dense plaque, or ODP, and the inner dense plaque, or IDP. The extracellular core region, approximately 34 nm in length, contains desmoglein"
"of qi flowing along meridians in the body, even though there is no physically verifiable anatomical or histological basis for the existence of acupuncture points or meridians. Deep fascia Deep fascia (or investing fascia) is a fascia, a layer of dense connective tissue which can surround individual muscles, and also surround groups of muscles to separate into fascial compartments. This fibrous connective tissue interpenetrates and surrounds the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels of the body. It provides connection and communication in the form of aponeuroses, ligaments, tendons, retinacula, joint capsules, and septa. The deep fasciae envelop all bone (periosteum"
"Constrictores pharyngis. Pharyngobasilar fascia The pharyngeal aponeurosis (or pharyngobasilar fascia, or fibrous coat), is situated between the mucous and muscular layers. It is thick above where the muscular fibers are wanting, and is firmly connected to the basilar portion of the occipital and the petrous portions of the temporal bones. As it descends it diminishes in thickness, and is gradually lost. It is strengthened posteriorly by a strong fibrous band, which is attached above to the pharyngeal spine on the under surface of the basilar portion of the occipital bone, and passes downward, forming a median raphé, which gives attachment"
"body wall, with attachment fibers running through the cuticle and to the epicuticle, where they can move different parts of the body including appendages such as wings. The muscle fiber has many cells with a plasma membrane and outer sheath or sarcolemma. The sarcolemma is invaginated and can make contact with the tracheole carrying oxygen to the muscle fiber. Arranged in sheets or cylindrically, contractile myofibrils run the length of the muscle fiber. Myofibrils comprising a fine actin filament enclosed between a thick pair of myosin filaments slide past each other instigated by nerve impulses. Muscles can be divided into"
"Sarcomere A sarcomere (Greek ""sarx"" ""flesh"", ""meros"" ""part"") is the basic unit of striated muscle tissue. It is the repeating unit between two Z lines. Skeletal muscles are composed of tubular muscle cells (myocytes called muscle fibers or myofibers) which are formed in a process known as myogenesis. Muscle fibers contain numerous tubular myofibrils. Myofibrils are composed of repeating sections of sarcomeres, which appear under the microscope as alternating dark and light bands. Sarcomeres are composed of long, fibrous proteins as filaments that slide past each other when a muscle contracts or relaxes. Two of the important proteins are myosin,"
"which forms the thick filament, and actin, which forms the thin filament. Myosin has a long, fibrous tail and a globular head, which binds to actin. The myosin head also binds to ATP, which is the source of energy for muscle movement. Myosin can only bind to actin when the binding sites on actin are exposed by calcium ions. Actin molecules are bound to the Z line, which forms the borders of the sarcomere. Other bands appear when the sarcomere is relaxed. A muscle fiber from a biceps muscle may contain 100,000 sarcomeres. The myofibrils of smooth muscle cells are"
"the tissue linking the structures is ligamentous. A gomphosis is a specialized fibrous joint in which a conical process or peg of one bone fits into a hole or socket in another bone. (gomphos is a Greek word meaning bolt). Small quantity of fibrous tissue holds the bones together. No movement is possible at such peg-and-socket joints. Fibrous joint Fibrous joints are connected by dense connective tissue, consisting mainly of collagen. These are fixed joints where bones are united by a layer of white fibrous tissue of varying thickness. In the skull the joints between the bones are called sutures."
"Cardiac skeleton The cardiac skeleton, also known as the fibrous skeleton of the heart, is a high density single structure of connective tissue that forms and anchors the valves and influences the forces exerted through them. The cardiac skeleton separates and partitions the atria (the smaller, upper two chambers) from the ventricles (the larger, lower two chambers). The cardiac skeleton consists of four bands of dense connective tissue, as collagen, that encircle the bases of the pulmonary trunk, aorta, and heart valves. While not a ""true"" skeleton, it does provide structure and support for the heart, as well as isolating"
"a sling or collar around the neck of the femur. Anteriorly they blend with the deep surface of the iliofemoral ligament, and gain an attachment to the anterior inferior iliac spine. The longitudinal fibers are greatest in amount at the upper and front part of the capsule, where they are reinforced by distinct bands, or accessory ligaments, of which the most important is the iliofemoral ligament. The other accessory bands are known as the pubocapsular and the ischiocapsular ligaments. The external surface of the capsule is rough, covered by numerous muscles, and separated in front from the psoas major and"
"six groups of muscle fibres that can be independently coordinated by the central nervous system. This tendon consists of two laminae, placed one in front of the other, and usually blended together below: These deep fibers, and particularly those from the lower costal cartilages, ascend the higher, turning backward successively behind the superficial and upper ones, so that the tendon appears to be twisted. The posterior lamina reaches higher on the humerus than the anterior one, and from it an expansion is given off which covers the intertubercular groove of the humerus and blends with the capsule of the shoulder-joint."
"Hard tissue Hard tissue (also termed calcified tissue) is tissue which is mineralized and has a firm intercellular matrix. The hard tissues of humans are bone, tooth enamel, dentin, and cementum. The term is in contrast to soft tissue. Bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the vertebral skeleton. Bones support and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals and also enable mobility. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue. Bones come in a variety of shapes and sizes and have a complex internal and external structure. They"
"Pharyngobasilar fascia The pharyngeal aponeurosis (or pharyngobasilar fascia, or fibrous coat), is situated between the mucous and muscular layers. It is thick above where the muscular fibers are wanting, and is firmly connected to the basilar portion of the occipital and the petrous portions of the temporal bones. As it descends it diminishes in thickness, and is gradually lost. It is strengthened posteriorly by a strong fibrous band, which is attached above to the pharyngeal spine on the under surface of the basilar portion of the occipital bone, and passes downward, forming a median raphé, which gives attachment to the"
"the time for interhemispheric communication as a macaque's. The fibrous bundle at which the corpus callosum appears, can and does increase to such an extent in humans that it encroaches upon and wedges apart the hippocampal structures. Corpus callosum The corpus callosum (Latin for ""tough body""), also callosal commissure, is a wide, thick, nerve tract consisting of a flat bundle of commissural fibers, beneath the cerebral cortex in the brain. The corpus callosum is only found in placental mammals. It spans part of the longitudinal fissure, connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres, enabling communication between them. It is the"
"unit of skeletal muscle. The sarcomere is a highly structured protein array, consisting of interdigitating thick and thin filaments, where the thin filaments are tethered to a protein structure, the Z-line. The dynamic interaction between the thick and thin filaments results in muscle contraction. Myosin belongs to a family of motor proteins, and the muscle isoforms of this family comprise the thick filament. The thin filament is made of the skeletal muscle isoforms of actin. Each myosin protein 'paddles' along the thin actin filament, repeatedly binding to myosin-binding sites along the actin filament, ratcheting and letting go. In effect, the"
"Cricothyroid ligament The cricothyroid ligament (also known as the cricothyroid membrane or Cricovocal membrane ) is composed of two parts: The median cricothyroid ligament is a flat band of white connective tissue that connects the front parts of the contiguous margins of the cricoid and thyroid cartilages. It is a thick and strong ligament, narrow above and broad below. Each lateral ligament is known as the conus elasticus. The lateral cricothyroid ligament is overlapped on either side by laryngeal muscles. The conus elasticus (which means elastic cone in Latin) is the lateral portion of the cricothyroid ligament. The lateral portions"
"Dense regular connective tissue Dense regular connective tissue provides connection between different tissues in the human body. The collagen fibers in dense regular connective tissue are bundled in a parallel fashion. Dense regular connective tissue (DRCT) is divided into white fibrous connective tissue and yellow fibrous connective tissue, both of which occur in two forms: cord arrangement and sheet arrangement. In cord arrangement bundles of collagen and matrix are distributed in regular alternate patterns. In sheet arrangement collagen bundles and matrix are distributed in irregular patterns, sometimes in the form of a network. It is similar to areolar tissue, but"
"the calcaneal tuberosity then diverge to connect to the bones, ligaments and the dermis of the skin around the distal part of the metatarsal bones. The anterior and posterior intercostal membranes are aponeuroses located between the ribs and are continuations of the external and internal intercostal muscles, respectively. The epicranial aponeurosis is a tough layer of dense fibrous tissue which runs from the frontalis muscle anteriorly to the occipitalis posteriorly. Pennate muscles, in which the muscle fibers are oriented at an angle to the line of action, typically have two aponeuroses. Muscle fibers connect one to the other, and each"
"Aponeurosis An aponeurosis (; plural: ""aponeuroses"") is a type or a variant of the deep fascia, in the form of a sheet of pearly-white fibrous tissue that attaches sheet-like muscles needing a wide area of attachment. Their primary function is to join muscles and the body parts they act upon, whether it be bone or other muscles. They have a shiny, whitish-silvery color, are histologically similar to tendons, and are very sparingly supplied with blood vessels and nerves. When dissected, aponeuroses are papery and peel off by sections. The primary regions with thick aponeuroses are in the ventral abdominal region,"
"Linea alba (abdomen) The white line () is a fibrous structure that runs down the midline of the abdomen in humans and other vertebrates. In humans linea alba runs from the xiphoid process to the pubic symphysis. The name means ""white line"" and the linea alba is indeed white, being composed mostly of collagen connective tissue. It is formed by the fusion of the aponeuroses of the abdominal muscles, and it separates the left and right rectus abdominis muscles. In muscular individuals its presence can be seen on the skin, forming the depression between the left and right halves of"
"Interthalamic adhesion The interthalamic adhesion (also known as the intermediate mass or middle commissure) is a flattened band of tissue that connects both parts of the thalamus at their medial surfaces. The medial surfaces form the upper part of the lateral wall to the third ventricle. In mammals other than humans, it is a large structure. In humans it is only about one centimeter long, though in females it is larger by about 50%. Sometimes it is in two parts and 20% to 30% of the time it is absent. In 1889, a Portuguese anatomist by the name of Macedo"
"these contain the fascial compartments of the leg and the fascial compartments of the thigh. A fasciotomy may be used to relieve compartment syndrome as a result of high pressure within a fascial compartment. Fascia A fascia (; plural fasciae ; adjective fascial; from Latin: ""band"") is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs. Fascia is classified by layer, as ""superficial fascia"", deep fascia, and ""visceral"" or ""parietal"" fascia, or by its function and anatomical location. Like ligaments, aponeuroses, and tendons, fascia is made"
"Intervertebral disc An intervertebral disc (or intervertebral fibrocartilage) lies between adjacent vertebrae in the vertebral column. Each disc forms a fibrocartilaginous joint (a symphysis), to allow slight movement of the vertebrae, and acts as a ligament to hold the vertebrae together. Their role as shock absorbers in the spine is crucial. Intervertebral discs consist of an outer fibrous ring, the anulus fibrosus disci intervertebralis, which surrounds an inner gel-like center, the nucleus pulposus. The ""anulus fibrosus"" consists of several layers (laminae) of fibrocartilage made up of both type I and type II collagen. Type I is concentrated toward the edge"
"of the pulp canal. Hard tissue Hard tissue (also termed calcified tissue) is tissue which is mineralized and has a firm intercellular matrix. The hard tissues of humans are bone, tooth enamel, dentin, and cementum. The term is in contrast to soft tissue. Bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the vertebral skeleton. Bones support and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals and also enable mobility. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue. Bones come in a variety of shapes and sizes and have a complex internal"
"to bones. The extra-cellular connective tissue between muscle fibers binds to tendons at the distal and proximal ends, and the tendon binds to the periosteum of individual bones at the muscle's origin and insertion. As muscles contract, tendons transmit the forces to the relatively rigid bones, pulling on them and causing movement. Tendons can stretch substantially, allowing them to function as springs during locomotion, thereby saving energy. Joints are structures that connect individual bones and may allow bones to move against each other to cause movement. There are three divisions of joints, diarthroses which allow extensive mobility between two or"