INTRODUCTION OF

GENERAL ARTHROLOGY
By:
Dr. RAKESH KUMAR DIWAN
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF ANATOMY
KGMU UP LUCKNOW
• DEFINITION- ARTHROLOGY IS THE
SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF JOINTS , AND
ARTICULATIONS.
• SITE WHERE RIGID ELEMEMTS OF
THE SKELETON MEET ARE CALLED
ARTICULATIONS.
CLASSIFICATION OF JOINTS:
A) CLASSIFICATION BASED ON
STRUCTURE
B) CLASSIFICATION BASED ON
FUNCTION
 CLASSIFICATION BASED ON
STRUCTURE
BASED ON THE MATERIAL THAT BINDS THE BONES
TOGETHER, AND ON THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF
JOINT CAVITY.
A)FIBROUS JOINTS
B)CARTILAGINOUS JOINTS
C)SYNOVIAL JOINTS

FIBROUS JOINTS-
-BONES CONNECTED BY FIBROUS TISSUE
-no joint cavity
a)Sutures
b)Syndesmoses
c)Gomphoses
CARTILAGINOUS JOINTS-
-THE BONES ARE UNITED BY
CARTILAGE
-THERE IS NO JOINT CAVITY
a)Synchondrosis( hyaline cartilage unites
the bones)
b)Symphyses( fibrocartilage unites the
bones)
SYNOVIAL JOINTS-
-MOST MOVABLE JOINTS IN THE BODY
-THERE IS A JOINT CAVITY.( SYNOVIAL
CAVITY, SYNOVIAL FLUID)
-ARTICULAR CARTILAGE( COVERS THE
ENDS OF THE OPPOSING BONES)
-ARTICULAR CAPSULE( IT ENCLSES THE
JOINT CAVITY.2 LAYERED)
-REINFORCING LIGAMENTS
-BURSAE
-MOVEMENT VS STABILITY
 CLASSIFICATION BASED ON
THE BASIS FUNCTION
• SYNARTHROSES-IMMOVABLE JOINTS (sutures)
• AMPHIARTHROSES- SLIGHTLY MOVABLE
JOINTS( FIBROUS CONNECTION)( intervetebral
discs)
• DIARTHROSES-FREELY MOVABLE
JOINTS( SYNOVIAL)

• SYNARTHROSES AND AMPHIARTHROSES ARE

LARGELY RESTRICTED TO THE AXIAL SKELETON
• DIARTHROSES PREDOMINATE IN THE LIMBS
TYPES OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS
• 1. PLANE JOINTS-ARTICULAR SURFACES ARE
PLANE AND ALLOW ONLY GLIDING
MOVEMENTS
• 2. HINGE JOINTS-CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF
ONE JOINT FITS IN THE TROUGH SHAPE OF THE
OTHER. ALLOW MOVEMENT AROUND 1 AXIS
• 3. PIVOT JOINTS- THE ROUNDED END OF ONE
BONE FORMS INTO A RING FORMED BY THE
OTHER BONE PLUS A LIGAMENT.MOVEMENT
OCCURS IN 1 AXIS
TYPES OF SYNOVIAL JOINTS
• 4. CONDYLOID- THE EGG SHAPED SURFACE OF
ONE BONE FITS INTO THE CONCAVE SURFACE
OF THE OTHER .ALLOW MOVEMENT IN 2 AXIS

• 5.SADDLE-ARTICULAR SURFACES IF BOTH

BONES ARE CONCAVE AND CONVEX( SADDLE)
BIAXIAL JOINT.
• 6. BALL AND SOCKET-SPHERICAL HEAD OF
ONE BONE FITS INTO THE SOCKET OF THE
OTHER. MUTIAXIAL JOINT
 Synarthrotic Joints
• No joint capsule and no
movement between adjacent
bones
– Suture
• Dense Fibrous CT
– Gomphosis
• Fibrous Peridontal Ligaments
– Synchondrosis – Hyaline
Cartilage
• Epiphyseal Line (plate)
– Synostosis – Bony Joints
(Fused)
Types of Sutures
synchodroses
SYMPYHSIS
Synovial Joint

pg 215
SYNOVIAL JOINT
BALL AND SOCKET
 Knee Joint
• Much more complex than
elbow
• Much less stable than
other hinge joints
• Some gliding and rotation
• structurally 3 separate
joints
• No single joint capsule
 Joint Shapes
• Saddle: articular surface both
concave + convex
– side-to-side, back-forth movement
– (eg) carpometacarpal jt of thumb
–
• Ball + Socket: spherical head +
round socket
– multiaxial movement
– (eg) shoulder, femur
Bursae & Tendon Sheaths
• Bursae: flat, fibrous sac
w/synovial membrane
lining
• Tendon Sheaths:
elongated bursae that
wraps around tendons
• 3 Factors in Joint
Stability:
– Muscle Tone
– Ligaments
– Fit of Articular Surface
pg 219
 Joint
Shapes
• Hinge: cylindrical end of 1
bone fits into trough shape of
other
– angular movement-1 plane (eg)
elbow, ankle, interphalangal

• Plane: articular surface in flat

plane
– Short gliding movement
– (eg) intertarsal, articular
processes of vertebrae
 Joint
Shapes
• Condyloid: egg-shape articular
surface + oval concavity
– side-to-side, back+forth movement
– (eg) metacarpophalangeal (knuckle)

• Pivot: round end fits into ring of

bone + ligament
– rotation on long axis
– (eg) prox. radius/ulna, atlas/dens
Representative Articulations
Temporomandibular Joint
Mostly hinge joint, some gliding and rotation
Articular disc
Special Movements
BIAXIAL JOINT(CONDYLOID/
SADDLE JOINT)
ELBOW JOINT
MUTIAXIAL JOINTS
MUTIAXIAL JOINTS(HIP JOINT)
BALL AND SOCKET
 MOVEMENTS AT SYNOVIAL
JOINTS(FLEXION/EXTENSION)
FLEXION/EXTENSION VETEBRAL
COLUMN
FLEXION EXTESION LIMBS
ADDUCTION/ABDUCTION/
CIRCUMDUCTION
INVERSION/EVERSION
 Tendon Sheaths and Bursae
• Bursa is saclike
extension of joint
capsule that extends
between nearby
structures allowing them
to slide more easily past
each other
• Tendon sheaths are
elongated cylinders of
connective tissue lined
with synovial membrane
& wrapped around a
tendon
BURSAE AND TENDON
SHEATHS
 QUESTIONS
Q-1) Rotatory movements of joints take
place on:
a)Transverse axis
b)Vertical axis
c)Anteroposterior axis
d)All of the above
 QUESTIONS
Q-2) Most important factor for stability of
joint is:
a)Fibrous Capsule
b)Ligaments
c)Atmospheric Pressure
d)Surrounding muscle
 QUESTIONS
Q-3) All of the following are examples of
saddle joint except:
a)Sterno-clavicular joint
b)Wrist joint
c)Calcaneo-cuboid joint
d)Incudo-malleolar joint
 QUESTIONS
Q-4) All of the following are characteristic
features of a synovial (diarthrodial) joint
except:
a)Articular surface are covered by a articular
cartilage
b)Have joint cavity filled with synovial fluid for
lubrication
c)Mostly are freely movable joints
d)Articular cartilage are covered by synovial
membrane
 QUESTIONS
Q-5) Articular cartilage of all of the following
joints are made up of thin plate of
fibrocartilage except:
1-Temporomandibular joint
2-1st Carpometacarpal joints
3-Sternoclavicular joint
4-Acramio- clavicular joint
THANK YOU