Study of the movement and function of joints, including their structure and motion.
Anatomy: Understanding the structure of the joints.
Physiology: Knowledge of joint movements, range of motion, and the muscles involved in joint movement.
Kinematics: How the motion of the bones at a joint occur in space and time.
Kinetics: The forces that are involved in joint movement.
Joint Torque: Understanding the factors that influence joint torque.
Joint Stability: Factors that contribute to joint stability and factors that cause instability.
Joint Loading: Understanding the forces and stresses that act on joints.
Joint Pathology: Understanding the factors that contribute to joint disorders such as arthritis and injury.
Joint Intervention: The various strategies used to help rehabilitate or manage joint disorders.
Biomechanical Analysis: Analyzing joint movements, force, and torque to understand function and potential injury risk.
Hinge Joint: A joint that allows movement along one axis, like a door hinge. Examples include the elbow, knee, and interphalangeal joints.
Ball-and-Socket Joint: A joint where a spherical surface of one bone fits into the concave surface of another bone, allowing movement in multiple directions. Examples include the hip and shoulder joints.
Pivot Joint: A joint that allows rotational movement around a single axis. Examples include the atlantoaxial joint in the neck and the proximal radioulnar joint in the forearm.
Gliding Joint: A joint where the articulating surfaces are relatively flat and allow sliding or gliding movements. Examples include the joints between the carpals in the wrist and the tarsals in the ankle.
Saddle Joint: A modified ball-and-socket joint where one of the bone surfaces is shaped like a saddle and the other like a rider. It allows movement in two directions. Examples include the joint at the base of the thumb.
Condyloid Joint: A modified ball-and-socket joint where the convex surface of one bone fits into the concave surface of another bone, allowing movement in two directions. Examples include the wrist joint.
Fixed Joint: A joint that allows no movement, like the sutures between bones in the skull.
Fibrous Joint: A joint where the bones are connected by fibrous tissue, allowing little or no movement. Examples include the sutures, syndesmosis (between the tibia and fibula in the lower leg), and gomphoses (between the teeth and the jawbone).
Cartilaginous Joint: A joint that uses cartilage to connect the bones, allowing limited movement. Examples include the intervertebral discs between spinal vertebrae and the pubic symphysis in the pelvis.
Synovial Joint: A joint that has a synovial membrane that produces synovial fluid, which lubricates and reduces friction in the joint. Most joints in the body are synovial joints, including the knee, hip, elbow, and shoulder joints.