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Updated: Jun 22, 2026
06:36
A Novel Tenorrhaphy Suture Technique with Tissue Engineered Collagen Graft to Repair Large Tendon Defects
Published on: December 10, 2021
Entheses: tendon and ligament attachment sites.
1School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
|June 16, 2009
Summary
This review examines tendon and ligament attachment sites (entheses), focusing on their development, growth adaptation, and role in preventing direct cell communication. It also discusses how these structures, including synovio-entheseal complexes, may cause pain in athletes.
Area of Science:
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Biomechanics
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Entheses are critical tendon and ligament attachment sites to bone.
- Understanding enthesis form-function relationships is key to musculoskeletal health.
- Growth adaptation and cellular interactions at entheses remain areas of interest.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review form-function relationships at entheses.
- To highlight the developmental adaptation of entheses during bone growth.
- To discuss the role of entheses and related structures in pain and inflammation.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of enthesis development and structure.
- Analysis of form-function relationships at the bone-tendon/ligament interface.
- Discussion of the synovio-entheseal complex (SEC) and enthesophytes.
Main Results:
- Entheses maintain position during bone growth through adaptation.
- Enthesis fibrocartilage acts as a barrier to cell communication and vascular supply.
- The thoracolumbar fascia may increase stress concentration at entheses.
Conclusions:
- Entheses exhibit complex developmental and functional adaptations.
- The synovio-entheseal complex (SEC) is a functional unit potentially involved in athletic injuries.
- Further research into enthesis mechanics could elucidate pain mechanisms in athletes.
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