Joint Types and Joint Movements

Fibrous Joint

a joint in which the union of bony elements is by continuous intervening fibrous tissue, which makes little motion possible

Ball and Socket Joint

a natural or manufactured joint or coupling, such as the hip joint, in which a partially spherical end lies in a socket, allowing multidirectional movement and rotation.

Saddle Joint

a synovial joint where one of the bones forming the joint is shaped like a saddle with the other bone resting on it like a rider on a horse. Saddle joints provide stability to the bones while providing more flexibility than a hinge or gliding joint.

Pivot Joint

a type of synovial joint. In pivot joints, the axis of a convex articular surface is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the bone.

Gliding Joint

also known as a plane joint or planar joint, is a common type of synovial joint formed between bones that meet at flat or nearly flat articular surfaces. Gliding joints allow the bones to glide past one another in any direction along the plane of the joint - up and down, left and right, and diagonally.

Condyloid Joint

an ovoid articular surface, or condyle that is received into an elliptical cavity. This permits movement in two planes, allowing flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, and circumduction.

Dorsiflexion

backward flexion (bending), as of the hand or foot. This can also be described as bending in the direction of the dorsum

Cartilaginous Joint

bones are united by cartilage, providing slight flexible movement

Circumduction

is a conical movement of a limb extending from the joint

Adduction

is the movement of a body part toward the body's midline. So, if a person has their arms straight out at the shoulders and brings them down to their sides, it is adduction

Protraction

movement of a body part in the anterior direction, i.e. being drawn forwards. The movement of protraction is the opposite of the movement of retraction.

Retraction

movement of a body part in the posterior direction, i.e. being drawn backwards. The movement of retraction is the opposite of the movement of protraction.

Plantar Flexion

movement of the foot in which the foot or toes flex downward toward the sole—compare

Hyperextension

or back extension is an exercise that works the lower back as well as the mid and upper back, specifically the erector spinae.

Depression

refers to movement in an inferior direction, the opposite of elevation.

Synovial Joint

specialized joint that permits more or less free movement, the union of the bony elements being surrounded by an articular capsule enclosing a cavity lined by synovial membrane.

Flexion

the action of bending or the condition of being bent, especially the bending of a limb or joint

Rotation

the action of rotating around an axis or center.

Abduction

the movement of a limb or other part away from the midline of the body, or from another part.

Eversion

the movement of the sole of the foot away from the median plane.

Inversion

the movement of the sole towards the median plane.

Extension

the opposite of flexion, describing a straightening movement that increases the angle between body parts. When a joint can move forward and backward, such as the neck and trunk, extension refers to movement in the posterior direction.

Supination

the opposite of pronation and refers to the outward roll of the foot during normal motion. A natural amount of supination occurs during the push-off phase of the running gait as the heel lifts off the ground and the forefoot and toes are used to propel the body forward.

Elevation

the upward movement of structures of the body. For example, elevation of a shoulder joint raises the corresponding arm vertically upwards

Pronation

the way the foot rolls inward when you walk and run. It is part of the natural movement that helps the lower leg deal with shock