Muscles are connected to bone by which structure

• A. Cartilage
• B. Ligament
• C. Capsule
• D. Tendon

Answer: (D)

The link between muscle and bone is via the tendon. Tendons are tough, fibrous bands of collagen that extend from the muscle to the bone, transmitting the force generated when a muscle contracts to the skeleton. This force across a joint causes movement because the tendon pulls on the bone to produce a lever action. Cartilage sits at joint surfaces to cushion and reduce friction, not to connect muscle to bone. Ligaments connect bones to other bones to stabilize joints, and the joint capsule encases the joint with a synovial lining—neither of these directly transmits muscle force to bone. So the tendon is the structure that connects muscle to bone.