Muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs (pronunciation: GOLL – jee) are types of proprioceptor (sensors that send signals to the nervous system) whose role is to prevent damage to the muscles and tendons.
They’re introduced at Level 3 when the nervous system is looked at, and help you understand why trying to lift a weight that’s too heavy can lead to you dropping it.
Essentially, muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs are defence mechanisms built into the nervous system that stop you from overworking or placing too much strain on muscles or tendons.
Here are the differences between the two:
(And, just to reiterate, this is the pronunciation: it’s PRO – pree – oh – sept – uh and GOLL – jee)
And that’s how you remember the difference!
Muscle Spindles respond to Stretching!
Golgi tendon organs respond to tension!
And you can download this diagram here.
Functional Fitness PTS 