Tendon facts for kids

A tendon is a strong, rope-like part of your body. It connects your muscles to your bones. Think of it like a tough band of tissue. Tendons are made to handle a lot of pulling force, also known as tension. They are a bit like ligaments, but ligaments connect bones to other bones. Tendons and muscles always work together. They can only pull, not push!

How Tendons Work

Tendons start where a muscle ends. The tiny collagen fibers that make up the muscle also form the tendon. This means the muscle and tendon are strongly linked.

A tendon connects to a bone at a special spot called an enthesis. At this point, the collagen fibers slowly turn into bone tissue. This makes the connection very strong.

Tendons themselves cannot create any pulling force. Instead, they act like cables. They transfer the movement and power from your muscles to your bones. This allows you to move your body parts.

When a muscle contracts, it pulls on the tendon. The tendon then pulls on the bone, causing movement. Tendons can also stretch a little bit. When they stretch, they can store and release energy, like a spring. This helps with movements like jumping.

Many tendons in your body are found near joints. For example, the Achilles tendon connects your calf muscle to your heel bone. This helps you walk, run, and jump.

Images for kids

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  Magnified view of a tendon

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  Ossified tendon from an Edmontosaurus bone bed in Wyoming (Lance Formation)

See also

In Spanish: Tendón para niños