Difference between Muscle and Tendon

The main difference between muscle and tendon is that the muscle is a bundle of fibrous tissue made up of muscle cells while the tendon is an inelastic cord made up of connective tissue.

Muscle and tendon are two anatomical structures of the body, which support the body while aiding movement. Also, the main function of a muscle is to assist in movement by contracting while the tendon attaches the muscles to the bones.

This Post includes:

Muscle Definition
Tendon Definition
Similarities between muscle and tendon
Comparison: Muscle Vs Tendon

Keep Reading …

what is a muscle?

Muscle is a fibrous tissue made up of muscle cells. The three types of muscles in the body are smooth muscles, skeletal muscles, and heart muscles.

Types of Muscles

Smooth muscles – This is a type of involuntary muscle responsible for the movements of the internal organs. Smooth muscle cells are single cells with tapered ends. They contain a single nucleus. Furthermore, they occur in the lining of the internal organs and are responsible for respiration, digestion, urination, etc.
Skeletal muscles – This is a type of voluntary muscle attached to the bones responsible for physical movement of the body, such as walking, running, typing, etc. Skeletal muscle cells are very long cylindrical cells, which are multinucleated. Also, they are striated.
Cardiac muscles – This is a type of involuntary muscle responsible for the movement of the heart. The muscle cells of the heart are a branching chain of cells connected to each other by intercalated, porous discs. These cells contain a single nucleus. Also, the movement of the heart muscles is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body.

what is a tendon?

A tendon is a tough cord that connects muscles to bones. It is made up of dense, white fibrous connective tissue. This connective tissue contains mainly collagen fibers. The basic unit of a tendon is the primary collagen fiber. A group of primary collagen fibers constitutes the primary fiber bundle called the subfasciculus.

A group of subfascicles forms the secondary fiber bundle called a fascicle. Several fascicles form a bundle of tertiary fibers called the tendon unit. A layer of connective tissue called the endotenon covers each bundle of primary, secondary, and tertiary fibers. The epitenon is the connective tissue layer that covers the tertiary fiber bundle.

Furthermore, there are two types of cells in the tendon: tenocytes, the mature cells that originate from fibrocytes, and tenoblasts, the immature cells that originate from fibroblasts. Tenocytes attach to collagen fibers, while tenoblasts occur in groups, which secrete collagen and the extracellular matrix of connective tissue.

The main function of a tendon is to transmit the forces exerted by the muscles to the bones. Therefore, tendons occur at each end of a muscle. Due to the high tensile strength of a tendon, it can withstand the great pressure generated by the muscle.

Similarities Between Muscle and Tendon

Muscle and tendon are two types of anatomical structures that provide support to the body.
On the other hand, they are important for the movement of the body.

Difference Between Muscle and Tendon in points

1: Muscle refers to a band or bundle of fibrous tissue in a human or animal body that has the ability to contract, produce movement or maintain the position of body parts. A tendon refers to a flexible but inelastic cord of strong fibrous collagen tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone. Thus, this explains the basic difference between muscle and tendon.

2: Muscles are made up of muscle cells while tendons are made up of connective tissue.

3:The three types of muscles are smooth muscles, skeletal muscles, and heart muscles, while a tendon is made up of collagen fibers, tenocytes, and tenoblasts. Principal function

4:The main function of the muscles is to aid in movement by contracting, while that of the tendons is to connect the muscles to the bones. Hence, this is another important difference between muscle and tendon.

Related Articles:

imdad.alvi