Type of Joints

Fibrous joints

• Fibrous joints: Bones are connected by dense, fibrous connective tissue. Most of these joints are immovable.

  • Sutures: Immovable joints found only in the skull, held together by short connective tissue fibers.

  • Gomphoses: Immovable joints that anchor the teeth into their sockets in the jawbone.

  • Syndesmoses: Slightly movable joints where bones are connected by ligaments, such as the tibiofibular joint in the ankle.

Cartilaginous joints

• Cartilaginous joints: Bones are joined together by cartilage and allow for limited movement.

  • Synchondroses: Joints where bones are joined by hyaline cartilage. The growth plates in developing bones are a temporary example.

  • Symphyses: Joints where bones are joined by fibrocartilage, which is strong and resists compression. Examples include the pubic symphysis and the intervertebral discs.

• Synovial joints: The most common and mobile type of joint, characterized by a fluid-filled space called the synovial cavity between the bones. Synovial fluid lubricates the joint, reducing friction during movement. 

Synovial joints

Synovial joints

The most common and movable type of joint, characterized by a fluid-filled synovial cavity. The six subtypes are classified by the shape of the articulating surfaces: 

• Ball-and-socket: Allows for the greatest range of motion in all directions. Found in the hip and shoulder.

• Hinge: Permits back-and-forth movement in a single plane. Found in the elbow and knee.

• Pivot: Allows for rotational movement around a single axis. The joint between the first and second vertebrae in the neck is a pivot joint.

• Condyloid: Allows for angular movement in two planes (back-and-forth and side-to-side). Found in the wrist and knuckles.

• Saddle: Provides a greater range of motion than a condyloid joint. The thumb's base is a saddle joint, allowing for grasping.

• Plane (Gliding): Allows bones with flat or slightly curved surfaces to slide over each other with limited movement. Found in the wrist's carpal bones

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