Ligaments are the soft tissues
connecting one bone to another. Because ligaments do not show up
on x-ray films, the ligament condition may be difficult to evaluate. Often,
a diagnosis is based on symptoms and a description of how the injury occurred.
Symptoms of ligament problems
depend on the severity of the trauma or injury. Ligaments are made
up of several fibers and one or all of the fibers may be involved.
The involvement of each fiber can vary as well. A fiber may be just
partially bruised or inflamed or the fiber may be completely torn.
When all of the fibers are torn, the injury is described as a complete
ligament tear.
Ligaments, unlike other structures
and organs of the body, do not have blood vessels that bring nutrients
directly to the tissues. The synovial fluid surrounding joints is
responsible for providing the nourishment for ligaments to grow and heal.
For this reason, when ligaments are damaged, they require an extended period
of time to heal.
