Unit No # 5

THE JOINTS
By: Zafran Faraz
MSN(INS-KMU),BSN(PGCN-
KMU)
 OBJECTIVES

• At the completion of this unit, learners will be able to:

• 1. Define the term joint.
• 2. Describe the types of joints including fibrous, cartilaginous and syno-vial joints.
• 3. Enlist the types of synovial joints.
• 4. Classify immovable, slightly movable and freely movable joints.
• 5. Describe the common characteristic or features of a synovial joint.
• 6. Discuss the types of movements possible at synovial joints.
• 7. Locate the different immovable or slightly movable joints in a human anatomical
model(OSPE/OSCE).
• 8. Locate and describe synovial Joints in a given anatomical model(OSPE/OSCE).
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 JOINT
• Joint is defined as” a site where two or more than two bones come together”.
• Joint (or articulation) is the junction between two or more bones.
• With the exception of the hyoid bone, every bone in the body is connected to or
forms a joint.
• There are approx 360 joints in the body.
• Articulations can be
 Bone to bone
 Bone to cartilage
 Teeth in bony sockets
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 FUCTIONS OF JOINTS
• Facilitate Movement: Joints enable a wide range of motions, allowing for activities
such as walking, bending, and reaching.
• Provide Stability: Joints contribute to the stability and support of the skeletal system,
preventing excessive or undesirable movements.
• Shock Absorption: Synovial joints, with their fluid-filled cavities, absorb shock during
movements, protecting bones and minimizing impact on surrounding tissues.
• Enable Flexibility: Joints allow for flexibility and adaptability, essential for activities
requiring precision and dexterity.
• Support Weight-Bearing: Joints in the lower extremities, particularly the hip and knee
joints, bear and distribute the body's weight during standing, walking, and other weight-
bearing activities.
• Facilitate Growth: Joints play a role in skeletal development, allowing for bone growth
and adaptation as individuals progress from infancy to adulthood. 04/21/2025 4
 CLASSIFICATION OF JOINTS
Joints can be classified by function or structure.
Functional Classification: Based on amount of movement
a. Synarthroses– Immovable; common in axial skeleton such as Manubriosternal joint
or the joints between the skull bones
b. Amphiarthroses – Slightly movable; such as the pubic symphysis or an
intervertebral cartilaginous joint.
c. Diarthroses– Freely movable; common in appendicular skeleton. These are
subdivided into three categories.
 A uniaxial diarthrosis allows movement within a single anatomical plane or
axis of motion. E.g. elbow joint.
 A biaxial diarthrosis, such as the metacarpophalangeal joint, allows for
movement along two planes or axes.
 The multiaxial diarthrosis, E.g. hip and shoulder joints. These allow
movements along three planes or axes. 04/21/2025 5
 CLASSIFICATIONS OF JOINTS
Structural Classification:

Structural classification include

1. Fibrous (Immovable Joints)

2. Cartilaginous (Slightly Movable Joints)
3. Synovial (Freely Movable Joints)

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 1) FIBROUS JOINTS (FIXED JOINTS)
• Bones are connected by fibrous connective tissue
• Do not have a joint cavity
• Most are immovable joints
• Types:
a) Sutures
b) Syndesmoses
c) Gomphoses
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 a) SUTURES
• Bones are tightly bound by a minimal amount of fibrous tissue
• Only occur between the bones of the skull

Examples: Sutures of the skull

Farzana Kausar 04/21/2025 8

 b) SYNDESMOSES
• Bones are connected exclusively by ligaments
• Amount of movement depends on length of fibers

Tibiofibular joint –Immovable joint between the

lower ends of tibia and fibula which is attached
through ligaments.

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 c) GOMPHOSES

• Tooth in a socket
• Connecting ligament – The periodontal ligament

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 2) CARTILAGINOUS JOINTS
• Bones are united by cartilage, which permit slight
movement at the joint

Examples:

 Joint between bodies of the vertebrae through

intervertebral disc

 Joint between ribs and sternum through costal cartilage

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 3) SYNOVIAL JOINTS:
• Most movable type of joint
• Capable of a wide range of movements such as flexion,
extension, abduction and adduction etc.

• All are Diarthroses

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 GENERAL STRUCTURE/CHARACTERISTICS
OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS

All synovial joints have certain common characteristics

1) Articular Cartilage
 Ends of opposing bones are covered with hyaline cartilage
 Some synovial joints have shock-absorbing pads called menisci and fluid filled sacs called
bursae.
 Provide a smooth surface to avoid friction during movement
2) Joint Cavity (synovial cavity)
 Cavity is a potential space that holds a small amount of synovial fluid
 Unique to synovial joints 04/21/2025 13
 GENERAL STRUCTURE/CHARACTERISTICS
OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS

3) Articular Capsule
 Joint cavity is enclosed by a two-layered sheet of fibrous tissue called articular capsule
or Fibrous capsule
 It strengthens joint
4) Synovial Membrane
 Composed of epithelial tissue
 Lines joint capsule and covers internal joint surfaces
 It produces a fluid called synovial fluid

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 GENERAL STRUCTURE/CHARACTERISTICS
OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS

5) Synovial Fluid
 A viscous fluid similar to egg white
 It is secreted by the synovial membrane into the joint cavity(synovial cavity)
 Provides nutrients to the joint structures
 Contains phagocytic cells which remove microbes
 Acts as lubricant
6) Reinforcing Ligaments
 These are bands of connective tissue that bind bones together and give additional stability at
the joint
 Mostly they are located outside the joint capsule 04/21/2025 15
04/21/2025 16
 TYPES OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS

Synovial joints are classified into further six types on the basis of their shapes. Following are the
types of synovial joints:

 Plane Joints
 Hinge Joints
 Pivot Joints
 Condyloid Joints
 Saddle Joints
 Ball-and-socket Joints

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 TYPES OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS
1) Plane Joints (Gliding)

 Articular surfaces are flat planes

 Short gliding movements are allowed
 Intertarsal and intercarpal joints

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 TYPES OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS
2) Hinge Joints (Ginglymi)
 The convex surface of one bone fits into the
concave surface of another
 Elbow, ankle, and joints between phalanges
 Movement is uniaxial – allows movement around
one axis only
 Such as flexion and extension

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 TYPES OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS
3) Pivot Joints (Trochoid)
 Classified as uniaxial – The cylindrical surface of one
bone rotates within a ring formed of bone and ligament
 Movement is limited to the rotation around a central
axis
 Examples
 Atlantoaxial joint-This joint allows a person to
rotate their head from side to side.
 Radius & ulna-Rotating forearm
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 TYPES OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS

4) Condyloid Joints (Bi-condylar):

 Oval-shaped articular surface of one bone fits into the oval-shaped
depression/cavity of another bone

 E.g. joint between Mandible and temporal bone

 Joint between metacarpal and phalanges of the hand

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 TYPES OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS

5) Saddle Joints/Seller:
 Forms between bones whose articulating surfaces
have both concave and convex regions. The surface of
one bone fits the complementary surface of the other
bone.
 Wide range of motion, the ability to touch each finger
tips of the same hand
 E.g. Thumb (between trapezium bone and first
metacarpal bone)

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 TYPES OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS
6) Ball-and-socket Joints (Spheroidal)
 Consists of a bone with a ball-shaped head that
attaches with the cup-shaped cavity of another bone.

 This type of joint allows for a wider range of

motion than any other kind. Multiaxial-permits
movement in all planes, and a rotational movement
around a central axis.
 Examples: The hip and shoulder joints.

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 SYNOVIAL JOINTS MOVEMENTS

Three basic types of movement

 Gliding Movements– one bone slide across the surface of another
 Angular Movements – movements change the angle between bones
such as flexion, extension, abduction and adduction
 Rotational Movements – movement around a bone's long axis

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 1) GLIDING MOVEMENTS
Flat surfaces of two bones slip across each other

 Examples:

Gliding movement occur at

 Carpals (intercarpal joints)

 Tarsals (Intertarsal joints)

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 2) ANGULAR MOVEMENTS
• Increase or decrease angle between bones

• Flexion: Bending parts at the joint so that the angle between them decrease
and the parts come closer together
Extension
 Example: bending lower limb at knee

• Extension: Straightening parts at the joint so that the angle between them
increase and the parts move farther apart
Flexion

 Example: straightening the lower limb at the knee

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 2) ANGULAR MOVEMENTS
• Hyperextension: Excess extension of the parts at a joint beyond
the anatomical position

 Example: bending the head back beyond the upright position

• Dorsiflexion: Bending the foot at the ankle toward the shin

 Example: bending the foot upward

• Plantar Flexion: Bending the foot at the ankle toward the sole
 Example: bending the foot downward
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 2) ANGULAR MOVEMENTS

• Abduction: Moving a part away from the midline

 Example: lifting the upper limb horizontally to form Abduction

a right angle with the side of the body

• Adduction: Moving a part toward the midline

 Example: returning the upper limb from a horizontal Adduction

position to the side of the body

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 3) ROTATIONAL MOVEMENTS
 Rotation: Moving a part around an axis

 Example: Twisting the head from side to side

 Circumduction: Moving a part so that its end follows a circular path Supinatio
n

 Example: Moving the finger in a circular motion without moving the

hand Pronatio
n

 Supination: Turning the hand so that the palm is upward or facing

anteriorly (in the anatomical position)

 Pronation: Turning the hand so the palm is downward or facing

posteriorly (in the anatomical position)
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 SOME OTHER MOVEMENTS
 Eversion: Turning the foot so that the sole faces laterally

 Inversion: Turning the foot so that the sole faces medially

 Protraction: Moving a part forward

 Example: Thrusting the chin forward

 Retraction: Moving a part backward

 Example: Pulling the chin backward

 Elevation: Raising a part

 Example: Shrugging the shoulders

 Depression: Lowering a part

 Example: Drooping the shoulders

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 REFRENCES
• Ross & Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness 12 th Edition

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 THANK
YOU
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