Tendons are tough ropes that tie your muscles to your bones. Tenocytes are the cells that build and fix those ropes.
Drag to turn it around. Use the buttons to zoom in and try things from the lessons.
The 3D model can't load right now. Check your internet connection, or try a different web browser.
A tendon connects a muscle to a bone. It is made mostly of long, strong threads called collagen fibers, packed side by side like a rope.
Tenocytes are long, thin cells that live in rows between these fibers. Their nucleus is long and thin too.
Wiggle your fingers and look at the back of your hand. Those lines moving under the skin are tendons!
When a muscle pulls, the tendon pulls the bone, and you move. Tendons get pulled every time you walk, jump, or write.
Tendons have few blood vessels, so they heal slowly. Warming up before sports helps keep them safe.
Press Pull! on the 3D model. Tendons can handle huge pulls. The Achilles tendon pulls on your heel every time you run.