# Dense Connective Tissue --- **Dense connective tissue** is a type of [[connective tissue|fibrous connective tissue]] that is very resistant to stretching due to it's high amount of [[collagen]] fibers. Due to this it is very resistant to stretching. ## Dense Regular **Dense regular connective tissue** is found particularly in [[tendons]] and [[ligaments]], and is characterized by [[collagen|collagen fibers]] that are a) parallel and b) packed close together. There is little room for much else, like blood vessels. This is why injuries to tendons and ligaments take a particularly long time to heal. The only cells that are really found in this type of tissue are [[fibroblast|fibroblasts]]. ![[dense regular.png]] Note: This can appear similar to [[smooth muscle]], so the thing to watch out for is how it makes wavy lines. ## Dense Irregular **Dense irregular connective tissue** is thickly packed with [[collagen|collagen fibers]], but unlike [[#dense regular]] tissue the bundles of fibers run in all different directions. Where dense regular tissue has a very predictable direction to expect tension, dense irregular can resist tension from all sorts of angles. It protects things organs, bones, cartilage and nerves. ![[dense irregular.png]] ___