Types of Joints and Conditions

Vocabulary with included pictures

Ball and socket joints

• The rounded head of one bone fits into the indentation of another, allowing for movement in all directions

• the shoulder and hip

Hinge joints

• Allow for movement in only one direction, like a door hinge

• Elbow, knee, and fingers

Saddle joints

• Allow for movement in any direction, but not rotation

• The joint at the base of your thumb

Pivot joints

• Enable rotation in place

• e.g. joints the neck that allows you to turn your head

Condyloid joints 

• Made of two oval-shaped bones that fit together, allowing for a wide range of motion but not rotation

• joints in the wrist and between the toes and the rest of the foot, knuckles

Planar (gliding) joints

• Permit bones to slide over one another in one plane

• e.g. joints between the carpal bones in the wrist

Osteogenesis imperfecta

• a congenital present at birth 

• inability to produce a type of collagen needed in bone tissue

Osteoporosis

• a to decrease in bone mass 

• holes in spongy bone are wider 

• most often occurs in women after menopause due to a decrease in sex hormone circulation 

scoliosis

• an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine in the thoracic or lumbar region

• severe cases can reduce the volume of the thoracic cavity leading to a difficulty breathing 

osteoarthritis

• a wearing down of articular cartilage (could be a result of aging)

• results in pain stiffness, loss of flexibility in joints

hypermobility

• a condition where range of motion in joints is possible due to abnormally shaped ends of bones 

• genetic connective tissue defect leading to weakened cartilage and/or tendons  

transverse

• a straight break that runs across the bone

spiral

• a break that spirals across the bone 

oblique

• a diagonal break across the bone

greenstick

• an incomplete break where the bone bends but doesn’t break all the way through (common in children)

comminuted

• the bone is broken into fragments (three or more pieces)

compression 

• the bone is crushed or compressed, not broken by a sharp line

open (compound)

• the broken bone breaks through the skin, requiring immediate treatment to prevent infection

closed (simple)

• the skin remains intact and there is no open wound

displaced

• the broken ends of the bones are not aligned with each other

non-displaced

• the bone may be cracked or broken, but the two ends stay in the correct alignment