Types of Bone Articulation
An articulation is the place where two or more bones meet. Bone articulations consist of three types. Fibrous articulations are composed of fibrous connective tissue---some are slightly moveable, but the majority are immovable. Cartilaginous articulations use cartilage to connect bones, and have limited mobility. Synovial joints have a fluid-filled cavity, and it this feature that endows them with their high range of motion.
Other People Are Reading
-
Sutures
-
Sutures are exclusive to the bones of the skull. Curvy articulating bone edges interlock with each other at the sutures, almost like the piece of a puzzle. The space between the two edges is filled in by connective tissue. This fibrous tissue knits the bones of the skull together. Sutures play an important dual role because they prevent the cranial bones from moving---which would injure the brain-- but still allow the skull to grow as needed during childhood and adolescence. The tissue hardens during adulthood.
Syndesmoses
-
At syndesmoses, bones are connected together by bands of fibrous tissue called ligaments. The amount of movement this type of articulation can accommodate depends on the length of the connecting fibers. Locations of syndesmoses include the tibia and the fibula.
-
Gomphoses
-
A gomphosis has a peg-socket construction. You will find this type of articulation only in your mouth---between a tooth and its bony socket.
Synchondroses
-
A bar or plate of hyaline cartilage connects bones at a synchondrosis. Synchondroses are found in the bones of young children. Since a child's limbs have not finished growing, they need these temporary and expandable joints.
Symphyses
-
Compressible and resilient, these joints are ideal for absorbing shock and so are located between the bones subjected to a great deal of pressure and force, such as the vertebrae of the spine and the bones of the pelvis. This type of articulation features a hyaline surface fused to a pad of fibro-cartilage.
Synovial Joints
-
Synovial joints articulate the limbs of the body and allow for the greatest freedom of movement. Smooth hyaline cartilage coats the opposing surfaces of each of the bones articulated by these joints. This helps prevent the bone ends from being crushed.
Synovial joints contain fluid to lubricate the movement of the joint and to help absorb the weight of the body. Synovial joints are reinforced by cordlike ligaments, and they are richly supplied with nerves and blood vessels.
-
References
- Photo Credit skeleton image by Wingnut Designs from Fotolia.com
