Chapter 13

The Joints

The adult human body usually has 206 bones, and except for the hyoid bone in the neck, each bone is connected to at least one other bone. Joints are…

Functional Classification of Joints The functional classification of joints is determined by the amount of mobility between the adjacent bones.…

Joints, also known as articulations, are classified based on their structural characteristics, i.e., based on whether the articulating surfaces of…

Fibrous joints are a type of joint where the bones are connected by fibrous connective tissue. These joints provide stability and minimal to no…

As the name indicates, at a cartilaginous joint, the adjacent bones are united by cartilage, a tough but flexible type of connective tissue. Unlike…

Synovial joints are the most common type of joint in the body. A key structural characteristic for a synovial joint is the presence of a joint…

In addition to being held together by the intervertebral discs, adjacent vertebrae also articulate with each other at synovial joints formed between…

The knee joint is the most complicated joint in the body. It consists of three articulations– two tibiofemoral and one patellofemoral. As is…

The ankle is formed by the talocrural joint (crural = leg). It consists of the articulations between the talus bone of the foot and the distal ends…

Joints form during embryonic development in conjunction with the formation and growth of the associated bones. The embryonic tissue that gives rise…

In primary osteoarthritis (OA), normal 'wear and tear' associated with aging inhibits the ability of cartilage to sustain its load-bearing and…

The shoulder is one of the human body's most complex joint systems, with motion occurring through the coordinated actions of four individual joints,…

Proprioception is an important component of controlled movement. The threshold to detection of passive movement (TDPM) is a commonly used method for…