Joints Flashcards
What are joints?
A joint is the point where two or more bones meet and there are 360 joints in the human body.
A need for strength makes bones ridged, but if the skeleton consisted of only one solid bone, movement would be impossible. Nature has solved this problem by dividing the skeleton into many bones and creating joints where bones intersect.
Joints are strong connections that join bones, teeth, and cartalidge of the body to one another.
There are three main types of joints: fibrous (immoveable), cartilaginous (partially moveable) and the synovial (freely moveable) joints.
What are synovial joints?
Synovial joints are by far the most common classification of joint within the human body and are highly moveable.
There are 6 types of synovial joints which are classified by the shape of the joint and the movement avalible.
What are pivot joints?
Neck, forearm (radius part of the elbow), and wrist.
Only allows rotation on one axis.
Rotates along the long axis.
What is the ball and socket joint?
Hip (femur (ball) rests in the (socket) of the pelvis) and shoulder (rounded upper part of the humerus (ball) rests in the cup like (socket) of the shoulder blades).
Allows it to move in all axis flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, rotation and circumduction.
What is the saddle joint?
Thumb (carpal, metacarpal), chest (parts of chest), and middle ear.
Rotation is limited. Flex, extend, abduct, adduct and circumduction.
What is the ellipsoid joint?
Wrist (carpals)
Similar to ball and socket, but its oval shape prevents rotation. Allows flexion/extension abduction, adduction and circumduction.
What is a hinge joint?
Knee, elbow (ulna part of the elbow), and ankle.
Allows movement only on one axis (flexion and extension). Works like the hinges on a door.
What is the gliding plane?
Carples, tarsals, clavicle, foot, and spine (parts of the spine).
Can glide and rotate.