What Makes Your Ligaments Shrink?

Ligaments are stretchy bands of tissue that link bones and other internal body parts together. They aid in the body's movement and stability. Like all components of the body, ligaments can become damaged. Some people experience a stretching of ligaments. Knowing how to shrink the ligaments may help you better treat the problem.

Inflammation

• Torn or stretched ligaments heal and tighten, or shrink, due to the inflammation process. This process allows damaged ligaments to regrow and return to their full strength. Inflammation is a natural process, but in cases where ligaments haven't fully healed after inflammation, it can be artificially started.

Heat

• Heat literally causes the collagen that the ligaments are made up of to melt. Once melted, the ligaments shrink and tighten. This was a popular technique used by doctors for some time to treat stretched ligaments. However, it has been found that ligaments treated this way eventually stretch again.

Exercise

• Repetitive physical therapy and range of motion exercises can help to shrink damaged ligaments. This type of treatment works well in conjunction with the natural healing process. In severely stretched ligaments, this treatment may work not well as well.