Joints and Joint Classifications

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary related to joints, joint types, classifications, and movements as discussed in the lecture.

Synarthroses

Immovable joints.

Amphiarthroses

Slightly movable joints.

Diarthroses

Freely movable joints.

Fibrous joints

Joints where adjoining bones are united by collagen fibers; there is no joint cavity.

Cartilaginous joints

Joints where adjoining bones are united by cartilage; there is no joint cavity.

Synovial joints

Joints in which the adjoining bones are covered with articular cartilage, separated by a joint cavity, and enclosed within an articular capsule lined with synovial membrane.

Osteoarthritis (OA)

A chronic condition characterized by the degeneration of joint cartilage and underlying bone.

Rheumatoid arthritis

A chronic inflammatory disorder affecting many joints, including those in the hands and feet.

Gouty arthritis

A form of arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammation in joints, caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood.

Lyme disease

An infectious disease caused by bacteria transmitted by tick bites, which can lead to joint pain and arthritis.

Movements at Synovial Joints

Includes gliding, flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, circumduction, rotation, medial rotation, and lateral rotation.

Gliding

Sliding the flat surfaces of two bones across each other.

Flexion

Decreasing the angle between two bones, usually in the sagittal plane.

Extension

Increasing the angle between two bones, usually in the sagittal plane.

Abduction

Moving a limb away from the body midline in the frontal plane.

Adduction

Moving a limb toward the body midline in the frontal plane.

Circumduction

Moving a limb or finger so that it describes a cone in space.

Rotation

Turning a bone around its longitudinal axis.

Nonaxial joints

Joints that allow slipping movements only.

Uniaxial joints

Joints that allow movement in one plane (or around one axis).

Biaxial joints

Joints that allow movement in two planes (or around two axes).

Multiaxial joints

Joints that allow movement in or around all three planes.

Sutures

Rigid, interlocking joints of the skull.

Syndesmoses

Joint held together by a ligament with longer fibers than sutures.

Gomphoses

Peg-in-socket fibrous joint, e.g., teeth in alveolar sockets.

Synchondroses

Joints united by hyaline cartilage; usually immovable.

Symphyses

Joints united by a fibrocartilage pad.

Synovial cavity

Space between the articulating bones in a synovial joint.

Articular cartilage

Hyeline cartilage that covers the ends of bones in synovial joints to prevent crushing.

Patellar ligament

Ligament that connects the patella to the tibia, providing stability to the knee.