Question

The muscles that move your fingers are attached to the bones in your fingers by tendons. *Suppose one of the tendons in a person's index finger were cut. How would it affect movement in the finger?*

Answer 1

A cut tendon in the finger would disrupt the control of finger movement, preventing either bending or straightening of the finger, depending on the tendon affected. This loss of function stems from the severed connection between muscle contractions and bone movement.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a tendon in a person's index finger is cut, it would result in an inability to control the movements of the finger properly. The tendons in the finger are responsible for transmitting the force from the muscles in the forearm to the bones in the fingers. This force allows for the movement of the fingers by changing the angle of the synovial joint. When a tendon is cut, the continuity between the muscle force and the bone's movement is disrupted, leading to loss of function. Depending on which tendon is cut—be it a flexor or an extensor tendon—the finger might lose the ability to either bend or straighten, respectively.

Muscles contract and create tension, which is then transferred via the tendons to move different parts of the body. Since the tendons in the finger carry the force from the muscles but do not change its magnitude, the lack of intact tendons would prevent the finger from exerting the necessary force in the correct direction to accomplish tasks like gripping or releasing objects.