JOINTS

.
 JOINTS:

• The Greek word arthro means “joint,” and the

scientific study of joints is called arthrology.
• A point where two or more bones are
connected in a human skeletal system.

CLASSIFICATION OF JOINTS:

FIBROUS JOINTS
CARTILAGINOUS JOINTS
SYNOVIAL JOINTS JOINTS
1. FIBROUS JOINTS

• In fibrous joints the bones are connected by

fibrous tissue i.e dense regular connective
tissue.
• No joint cavity is present.
• Most fibrous joints are immovable or only
slightly movable.
TYPES:
The types of fibrous joints are:
---Sutures
---Syndesmoses
---Gomphoses
Sutures (Literally “seams”):
• The bones are tightly bound by a minimal amount of
fibrous tissue in sutures.
• Sutures occur only between bones of the skull.
• At sutures, the edges of the joining bones are wavy
and interlocking.
• Sutures also allow bone growth so that the skull can
expand with the brain during childhood.
• During middle age, the fibrous tissue ossifies, and the
skull bones fuse together. At this stage, the closed
sutures are called synostoses (bony junctions).
Syndesmoses:
• Here the bones are connected by ligaments, bands
of fibrous tissue longer than those that occur in
sutures (syndesmosis = ligament).
• The amount of movement allowed at a syndesmosis
depends on the length of the connecting fibers.
• If the fibers are short, as in the distal tibiofibular
articulation little to no movement is allowed.
• If the fibers are quite long, as in the interosseous
membrane between the radius and ulna, a large
amount of movement is possible.
Gomphoses:
• A peg-in-socket joint.
• The only example is the articulation of a
tooth with its socket.
• In this case, the connecting ligament is
the short periodontal ligament.
2. CARTILAGINOUS JOINTS

• The articulating bones are united by cartilage.

• Cartilaginous joints lack a joint cavity and are
not highly movable.

TYPES:
---Synchondroses
---Symphyses
Synchondroses:
A joint where hyaline cartilage unites the bones
is a synchondrosis (“junction of cartilage”).

Examples:
• The epiphyseal plates are synchondroses.
• Another example is the immovable joint
between the first rib’s costal cartilage and the
manubrium of the sternum.
Symphyses:
• Here fibrocartilage unites the bones.(hyaline
cartilage also present upto some extent).
• Fibrocartilage resists tension and compression
stresses and can act as a resilient shock absorber.
• Symphyses are slightly movable joints
(amphiarthroses) that provide strength with
flexibility.

Examples:
Intervertebral discs and the pubic symphysis of the
pelvis.
3. SYNOVIAL JOINTS:

• The most movable joints of the body.

• All are diarthroses (freely movable).
• Each synovial joint contains a fluid-filled joint
cavity.

Examples:
Most joints of the body are in this class, especially
those in the limbs.
 GENERAL STRUCTURE OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS:

Synovial joints have the following basic features:

1. Articular cartilage:
• The ends of the opposing bones are covered by
articular cartilages composed of hyaline cartilage.
• These spongy cushions absorb compressive forces
placed on the joint, thus keep the bone ends from
being crushed.
2. Joint cavity (synovial cavity):

• A feature unique to synovial joints.

• A potential space that holds a small
amount of synovial fluid.
3. Articular capsule / Joint capsule:

• Encloses the joint cavity.

• Two layered.
• The outer layer is a fibrous capsule of dense irregular
connective tissue that is continuous with the
periosteum layer of the joining bones. It strengthens
the joint so that the bones are not pulled apart.
• The inner layer of the capsule is a synovial
membrane composed of loose connective tissue.
• The synovial membrane makes synovial fluid.
4. Synovial fluid:

• The viscous liquid inside the joint cavity.

• Resembles raw egg white.
• Synovial fluid is primarily a filtrate of blood,
arising from capillaries in the synovial membrane.
• It also contains special glycoprotein molecules,
secreted by the fibroblasts in the synovial
membrane, that make synovial fluid a slippery
lubricant that eases the movement at the joint.
5. Reinforcing ligaments:
• Some synovial joints are reinforced and strengthened
by bandlike ligaments.
• Mostly the ligaments are capsular; i.e they are
thickened parts of the fibrous capsule itself.
• In some cases the ligaments are extracapsular or
intracapsular.
• Extracapsular ligaments are located just outside the
capsule, e.g the fibular and tibial collateral ligaments
of the knee.
• Intracapsular ligaments are internal to the capsule,
e.g, the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in
the knee.
6. Nerves and vessels:
• Synovial joints are richly supplied with sensory
nerve fibers that innervate the articular
capsule.
• Some of these fibers detect pain.
• Synovial joints also have a rich blood supply.
• Most of the blood vessels supply the synovial
membrane (where blood filters from capillaries
to make synovial fluid).
• Each synovial joint is served by branches from
several major nerves and blood vessels.
7. Articular disc / Meniscus:
• A disc of fibrocartilage in some synovial joints e.g
temporomandibular (jaw) joint, sternoclavicular joint,
knee joint.
• Extends internally from the capsule and divides the joint
cavity in two.
• Articular discs occur in joints whose articulating bone
ends have somewhat different shapes thus fit poorly
and can damage articular cartilage leading to
osteoarthritis.
• An articular disc fills the gaps and improves the
fit, and minimizing damage.
8. Bursa and Tendon sheath:

• Bursae and tendon sheaths contain synovial fluid.

• Occur as closed bags of lubricant; acting like “ball
bearings” to reduce friction between body
elements that move over one another.
• A bursa (“purse”) is a flattened fibrous sac occuring
where ligaments, muscles, skin, tendons, or bones
rub together.
• A tendon sheath is an elongated bursa that wraps
around a tendon that is subjected to friction, such
as those that travel through joint cavities.
Bursae and tendon sheaths.
CLASSIFICATION OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS:

Based on shapes of the articulating bone surfaces,

the synovial joints can be classified as:
---PLANE JOINTS
---HINGE JOINTS
---PIVOT JOINTS
---CONDYLOID JOINTS
---SADDLE JOINTS
---BALL-AND-SOCKET JOINTS
1. Plane Joints:

• The articular surfaces are essentially flat planes,

and only short gliding or translational movements
are allowed.
• Plane joints are the gliding joints e.g intertarsal
joints, intercarpal joints, and the joints between the
articular processes of the vertebrae.
• The movement may be in multiple directions,
(shown by arrows in fig.) but it occurs only along
the plane of the joint surface.
2. Hinge Joints:

• The cylindrical end of one bone fits into a

trough-shaped surface on another bone.
• Angular movement is allowed in just one plane,
like a door on a hinge.
• Examples: elbow joint, ankle joint, and the
joints between the phalanges of the fingers.
• Hinge joints are classified as uniaxial because
they allow movement around one axis only,
(shown by single arrow in fig).
3. Pivot Joints:

• The rounded end of one bone fits into a ring

that is formed by another bone plus an
encircling ligament.
• As rotating bone can turn only around its
long axis, pivot joints are also uniaxial joints.
• Example: Proximal radioulnar joint, where
the head of the radius rotates within a ring
like ligament secured to the ulna.
4. Condyloid Joints:

• The egg-shaped articular surface of one bone fits into

an oval concavity in another.
• Allow movement (1) back and forth (flexion-extension)
and (2) from side to side (abduction-adduction), but
the bone cannot rotate around its long axis.
• Because movement occurs around two axes, (shown by
the two arrows in fig.), these joints are biaxial, as in
metacarpophalangeal joint .
(you can spread your fingers apart and together as
well as flex and extend them).
5. Saddle Joints:

• Each articular surface has both convex and

concave areas, just like a saddle.
• These biaxial joints allow essentially the same
movements as condyloid joints.
• Example: The best example of a saddle joint
is the first carpometacarpal joint, in the ball
of the thumb.
6. Ball-and-Socket Joints:

The spherical head of one bone fits into a round

socket in another.
These are multiaxial joints that allow movement
in all axes, including rotation.
(Shown by three arrows in fig.).
Examples: The shoulder and hip are ball-and-
socket joints.
SUMMARY OF JOINT CLASSES