T like Tendon

T as in Tendon

A tendon is a fibrous connective tissue which attaches muscle to bone.  Tendons may also attach muscles to structures such as the eyeball.  A tendon serves to move the bone or structure.  A ligament is a fibrous connective tissue which attaches bone to bone, and usually serves to hold structures together and keep them stable.

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body.  It connects your calf muscles to your heel bone and is used when you walk, run, and jump.  Although the Achilles tendon can withstand great stresses from running and jumping, it is also prone to tendonitis, a condition associated with overuse and degeneration. 

Here are some exercises:

Beef cartilage is also known as beef tendon.  It refers to the ligaments and tendons of a cow, most frequently the ones in the leg of the cow.  Beef cartilage or tendon is edible, and is included in a variety of dishes in many Asian cuisines, such as Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese.  Beef tendon requires long, slow cooking to make the texture softer.

Whatever you do with your tendons, exercise them or eat them (the beef ones, I hope!), be aware that even the toughest tissue can tear when not “greased” properly, so use the easy and most-of-the-time invisible body stretches that NIMBLE has to offer!