Synovial joints

Ball and socket

Joint in which the rounded head of one bone fits into the socket of another. Examples include the hip and shoulder joints. Also known as enarthroses or spheroid joints.

Gliding

These joint surfaces are flat, allowing for a gliding motion. Examples include the carpus. Also known as arthrodial joints.

Hinge

This joint allows for movement in one plane (one direction), similar to a door hinge. Examples include the elbow and stifle. Also known as ginglymus joints.

Pivot

These are pulley-shaped or pivot-like joints. An example is the atlanto-axial joint. Also known as a trochoid joint.

Saddle

This joint can only be found in humans and non-human primates. The surfaces of bone bones are concave in one place and convex, or saddle-shaped, in the other. It allows for all range of motion except an axial twist. The best example is the carpometacarpal joint on the thumb.