A complete tear of a tendon is called?

• A. Strain
• B. Tendon rupture
• C. Sprain
• D. Avulsion

Answer: (B)

Understanding injury terminology helps differentiate what is damaged: tendons, ligaments, or bone attachments. A complete tear of a tendon means the tendon fibers are fully disrupted, so the tendon is ruptured and can no longer transmit force from muscle to bone. That’s what “tendon rupture” refers to.

A strain describes injury to the muscle or the musculotendinous junction, often a partial tear or overstretch of muscle fibers—not a full tendon tear. A sprain is damage to a ligament surrounding a joint, which again is not a tendon injury. An avulsion involves a tendon or ligament pulling away a fragment of bone, so there is bone involvement rather than a pure tendon rupture.