cartilaginous joints

Examples of cartilaginous joints in the following topics:

• Cartilaginous Joints: Synchodroses

  • Cartilaginous joints are connected entirely by cartilage (fibrocartilage or hyaline).
  • Cartilaginous joints allow more movement between bones than a fibrous joint but less than the highly mobile synovial joint.
  • The joint between the manubrium and the sternum is an example of a cartilaginous joint.
  • Where the connecting medium is hyaline cartilage, a cartilaginous joint is termed a synchondrosis or primary cartilaginous joint.
  • The rest of the sternocostal joints are synovial plane joints.

• Structural Classification of Joints

  • There are three structural classifications of joints: fibrous, cartilaginous, and synovial.
  • There are three structural classifications of joints: fibrous, cartilaginous, and synovial.
  • Cartilaginous joints are connected by fibrocartilage or hyaline cartilage.
  • They allow more movement than fibrous joints but less than that of synovial joints.
  • These types of joints are further subdivided into primary (synchondroses) and secondary (symphyses) cartilaginous joints.

• Cartilaginous Joints: Symphyses

  • A symphysis is a secondary cartilaginous joint that is permanent and slightly movable.
  • A symphysis, a type of secondary cartilaginous joint, is a fibrocartilaginous fusion between two bones.
  • The pubic symphysis or symphysis pubis is the midline cartilaginous joint (secondary cartilaginous) uniting the superior rami of the left and right pubic bones.
  • Mobility of this joint increases for women at the time of childbirth.
  • Each disc forms a cartilaginous joint to allow slight movement of the vertebrae and acts as a ligament to hold the vertebrae together.

• Fibrous Joints

  • Fibrous joints are also called fixed or immovable joints because they do not move.
  • There are three structural classifications of joints:
  • These joints are also called fixed or immovable joints because they do not move.
  • Fibrous joints have no joint cavity and are connected via fibrous connective tissue.
  • Differentiate among the three classifications of joints: fibrous, cartilaginous, and synovial

• Functional Classification of Joints

  • This category includes fibrous joints such as suture joints (found in the cranium) and gomphosis joints (found between teeth and sockets of the maxilla and mandible).
  • Most joints in this category include cartilaginous joints such as those found between vertebrae and the pubic symphysis.
  • An example is the elbow joint.
  • Multiaxial – Includes the ball and socket joints.
  • An example is the hip joint.

• Synovial Joint Movements

  • A synovial joint, also known as a diarthrosis, is the most common and most movable type of joint in the body of a mammal.
  • Structural and functional differences distinguish synovial joints from cartilaginous joints (synchondroses and symphyses) and fibrous joints (sutures, gomphoses, and syndesmoses).
  • There are six types of synovial joints.
  • The six types of joints include:
  • Saddle joints - permit the same movement as condyloid joints and combine with them to form compound joints

• Pubis

  • The pubic bone forms the anterior region of the pelvis and contributes to the acetabulum, which articulates with the femoral head to form the hip joint.
  • The two pubic bones joint anteriorly through the pubic symphysis, a cartilaginous joint.

• Pelvic Structure and Childbearing

  • Additionally, the female pubic symphysis, which is the cartilaginous joint connecting the left and right side of the pelvis, is remodeled by hormones released during pregnancy, allowing it to stretch during childbirth.

• Types of Synovial Joints

  • Anatomical joints may consist of a combination of two or more joint types.
  • The atlanto-axial joint, proximal radioulnar joint, and distal radioulnar joint are examples of pivot joints.
  • Examples include the wrist joint (radiocarpal joint) and the temporomandibular joint.
  • The knee joint is an example of a compound joint/modified hinge joint where different types of joints combine.
  • Collection of Joint Movements (Example): Wave your arm (hinge joint) and hand (condyloid joint) while nodding your head (pivot joint), and giving a thumbs up (saddle joint).

• Cartilage Growth

  • Early in fetal development, the greater part of the skeleton is cartilaginous.
  • In contrast, the cartilage in the joints remains unossified during life and permanent.
  • Over the last few years, surgeons and scientists have elaborated a series of cartilage repair procedures that help to postpone the need for joint replacement.