Tendons - Horse Anatomy
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Introduction
Tendons are composed of bundles of collagen, predominantly type I, surrounding parallel rows of fibroblasts known as tenocytes. Tenocytes synthesize the collagen fibres that they surround. Many collagen fibres make up a fascicle. Within the fascicle, collagen fibres are parallel with a ‘crimp’ waveform. This arrangement allows lateral cohesion between fibres, preventing slippage between fibres or fibrils. The ‘crimp’ straightens when the tendon is loaded and then recoils when the load is removed; this allows the elastic function of tendons.