synovial joint types

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering bone tissue histology, gross anatomy, intramembranous and endochondral ossification, bone remodeling, and structural/functional classifications of joints.

Plane Joint

A nonaxial synovial joint featuring flat or slightly curved articulating surfaces allowing gliding movements, such as intercarpal and intertarsal joints.

Hinge Joint

A uniaxial synovial joint where the convex surface of one bone fits into the concave depression of another, permitting flexion and extension around a single axis.

Pivot Joint

A uniaxial synovial joint where the rounded or pointed surface of one bone rotates within a ring formed by another bone and a ligament (e.g., atlantoaxial joint, proximal radioulnar joint).

Condylar Joint (Ellipsoid Joint)

A biaxial synovial joint where an oval convex surface articulates with an oval concave depression, allowing flexion/extension and abduction/adduction (e.g., metacarpophalangeal joints).

Saddle Joint

A biaxial synovial joint in which each articulating surface has both concave and convex regions resembling a rider in a saddle, exemplified by the first carpometacarpal joint of the thumb.

Ball-and-Socket Joint

A multiaxial synovial joint where the spherical head of one bone fits into a cup-like depression of another, allowing motion across all three planes (e.g., shoulder and hip joints).