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Anatomy & Physiology: Joints and Movements

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  • What are joints (articulations)?
    Sites where two or more bones meet, providing skeleton mobility and holding it together.
  • What are the two main classifications of joints?
    Structural (fibrous, cartilaginous, synovial) and functional (synarthroses, amphiarthroses, diarthroses).
  • Describe fibrous joints.
    Bones joined by dense fibrous connective tissue, no joint cavity, mostly immovable.
  • What are sutures?
    Rigid, interlocking fibrous joints of the skull that allow growth during youth and fuse in middle age.
  • What are syndesmoses?
    Fibrous joints where bones are connected by ligaments; movement varies with fiber length.
  • What is a gomphosis?
    A peg-in-socket fibrous joint; example is teeth held in alveolar sockets by periodontal ligament.
  • Describe cartilaginous joints.
    Bones united by cartilage, no joint cavity, not highly movable; includes synchondroses and symphyses.
  • What are synchondroses?
    Bones united by hyaline cartilage, mostly immovable; examples include epiphyseal plates and 1st rib-sternum joint.
  • What are symphyses?
    Bones united by fibrocartilage, slightly movable; examples include intervertebral discs and pubic symphysis.
  • What defines synovial joints?
    Bones separated by fluid-filled joint cavity, all diarthrotic (freely movable), mostly limb joints.
  • List the six general features of synovial joints.
    Articular cartilage, joint cavity, articular capsule, synovial fluid, reinforcing ligaments, nerves and blood vessels.
  • What is the function of synovial fluid?
    Lubricates and nourishes articular cartilage and contains phagocytic cells to remove debris.
  • What are bursae and tendon sheaths?
    Fluid-filled sacs reducing friction; bursae cushion ligaments and tendons, tendon sheaths wrap tendons.
  • What factors influence synovial joint stability?
    Shape of articular surface, number/location of ligaments, and muscle tone (most important).
  • Define origin and insertion in muscle attachment.
    Origin: attachment to immovable bone; insertion: attachment to movable bone.
  • What are the types of synovial joint movements by range of motion?
    Nonaxial (slipping), uniaxial (one plane), biaxial (two planes), multiaxial (all three planes).
  • Describe gliding movements.
    Sliding of flat bone surfaces over each other; examples include intercarpal and intertarsal joints.
  • What are angular movements?
    Movements that increase or decrease the angle between bones, including flexion, extension, hyperextension, abduction, adduction, and circumduction.
  • Explain rotation movements.
    Turning of a bone around its long axis; medial rotation toward midline, lateral rotation away from midline.
  • What are special movements of synovial joints?
    Supination/pronation, dorsiflexion/plantar flexion, inversion/eversion, protraction/retraction, elevation/depression, and opposition.
  • Name the six types of synovial joints.
    Plane, hinge, pivot, condylar, saddle, and ball-and-socket joints.
  • What is osteoarthritis?
    Most common degenerative arthritis caused by cartilage breakdown; symptoms include joint stiffness and crepitus.
  • Describe rheumatoid arthritis.
    Chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease causing joint pain, swelling, and destruction of cartilage and bone.
  • What is gouty arthritis?
    Inflammation caused by uric acid crystal deposition in joints, often affecting the great toe.
  • What is the role of exercise in joint health?
    Full-range-of-motion exercise helps maintain joint flexibility and postpones joint problems.