Which connective tissue connects muscle to bone, anchors to produce force, has limited blood flow, and is slow to repair?

• A. Ligaments
• B. Sarcomeres
• C. Muscle spindles
• D. Tendons

Answer: (D)

Tendons are the connective tissue that links muscle to bone, transmitting the muscle’s force to move the skeleton. They’re composed of dense regular connective tissue with collagen fibers aligned in the direction of pull, giving them high tensile strength to efficiently transfer force without tearing. Their blood supply is relatively limited, which means nutrients and healing cells reach them slowly and repairs take longer compared with muscles. That combination—muscle-to-bone connection, force transmission, and slower healing due to limited blood flow—matches tendon tissue precisely.

Ligaments, by contrast, connect bone to bone; muscle spindles are stretch-sensitive receptors inside muscle tissue; and sarcomeres are the basic contractile units within muscle fibers.