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Anatomy & Physiology: Joints and Their Classifications

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Terms in this set (28)

  • What is a joint (articulation)?
    A joint or articulation is where rigid elements of the skeleton meet, such as bone to bone, bone to cartilage, or teeth in bony sockets.
  • What are the three functional classifications of joints based on movement?
    Synarthroses (immovable), Amphiarthroses (slightly movable), and Diarthroses (freely movable).
  • What are the three structural classifications of joints?
    Joints are classified structurally as Fibrous, Cartilaginous, or Synovial based on the material binding bones and presence of a joint cavity.
  • Describe fibrous joints and their types.
    Fibrous joints connect bones with fibrous connective tissue, lack a joint cavity, and are mostly immovable or slightly movable. Types include sutures, syndesmoses, and gomphoses.
  • What is a suture joint?
    A suture is a fibrous joint where bones are tightly bound by minimal fibrous tissue, found only in the skull, allowing bone growth during childhood.
  • What is a syndesmosis joint?
    A syndesmosis is a fibrous joint where bones are connected exclusively by ligaments; movement depends on ligament length, e.g., tibiofibular joint.
  • What is a gomphosis joint?
    A gomphosis is a fibrous joint where a tooth is anchored in its socket by the periodontal ligament.
  • Describe cartilaginous joints and their types.
    Cartilaginous joints unite bones with cartilage, lack a joint cavity, and include synchondroses (hyaline cartilage) and symphyses (fibrocartilage).
  • What is a synchondrosis joint?
    A synchondrosis is a cartilaginous joint where bones are united by hyaline cartilage, such as epiphyseal plates in youth or the joint between the first rib and sternum.
  • What is a symphysis joint?
    A symphysis is a cartilaginous joint united by fibrocartilage, providing strength and flexibility, e.g., intervertebral discs and pubic symphysis.
  • What defines a synovial joint?
    Synovial joints are freely movable (diarthroses), have a fluid-filled joint cavity, and include most joints of the appendicular skeleton.
  • Name the general structures of a synovial joint.
    Key structures include articular cartilage, joint cavity, articular capsule (fibrous capsule and synovial membrane), synovial fluid, and reinforcing ligaments.
  • What is the function of synovial fluid?
    Synovial fluid lubricates joints, reduces friction, nourishes cartilage, and acts as a shock absorber.
  • What are bursae and tendon sheaths?
    Bursae are flattened fibrous sacs lined with synovial membrane that reduce friction; tendon sheaths are elongated bursae that wrap around tendons.
  • What factors influence joint stability?
    Joint stability depends on articular surfaces, ligaments (more ligaments = stronger joint), and especially muscle tone which maintains tension on tendons.
  • What are the three basic types of synovial joint movements?
    Gliding (sliding bones), angular movements (change angle between bones), and rotation (bone turns around its long axis).
  • Give examples of angular movements.
    Angular movements include flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and circumduction.
  • What is the difference between supination and pronation?
    Supination rotates the forearm laterally so the palm faces anteriorly; pronation rotates it medially so the palm faces posteriorly.
  • Describe special movements like dorsiflexion and plantar flexion.
    Dorsiflexion lifts the foot so the superior surface approaches the shin; plantar flexion points the toes downward.
  • What are the six types of synovial joints classified by shape?
    They are plane, hinge, pivot, condyloid, saddle, and ball-and-socket joints.
  • What characterizes a plane joint?
    Plane joints have flat articular surfaces allowing short gliding movements; they are nonaxial, e.g., intercarpal joints.
  • What characterizes a hinge joint?
    Hinge joints allow angular movement in one plane (uniaxial), like the elbow and knee.
  • What characterizes a pivot joint?
    Pivot joints allow rotation around a single longitudinal axis (uniaxial), e.g., proximal radioulnar joint.
  • What characterizes a condyloid joint?
    Condyloid joints allow biaxial movement: side-to-side (abduction-adduction) and back-and-forth (flexion-extension), e.g., metacarpophalangeal joints.
  • What characterizes a saddle joint?
    Saddle joints have concave and convex articular surfaces allowing biaxial movement, e.g., the thumb's carpometacarpal joint.
  • What characterizes a ball-and-socket joint?
    Ball-and-socket joints have a spherical head fitting into a round socket, allowing multiaxial movement, e.g., shoulder and hip joints.
  • What are common joint injuries?
    Common injuries include sprains (ligament tears), strains (muscle tears), dislocations, and torn cartilage.
  • What are common inflammatory joint conditions?
    Conditions include bursitis (bursa inflammation), tendinitis (tendon sheath inflammation), and various forms of arthritis.