Types of Joints in Human Skeleton: Definitions and Examples

immobile joint

no movment

plates of the skull, rib-to-sternum.

ball and socket joint

moves in all directions

shoulder and hip

gliding joint

allows one bone to slide over another; found in wrist and ankles

carpal joints in the wrist, tarsal joints in the ankle, and facet joints in the spine

Pivot joints

Pivot joints allow rotation arround an axis. The neck and forearms have pivot joints. In the neck the occipital bone spins over the top of the axis. In the forearms the radius and ulna twist arround each other.

Hinge joint

Joint between bones (as at the elbow or knee) that permits motion in only one plane

fingers