Science · Support & movement
Joints and Movement
Estimated time includes reading and one quiz. Take the time you need.
Start here: key ideas
- A joint is where two or more bones meet.
- Fibrous, cartilaginous, and synovial joints differ in structure.
- Synovial joints contain fluid and cartilage for smooth movement.
- Muscles pull on bones across joints to create movement.
What you’ll be able to do
- Classify the three structural joint types.
- Identify parts of a synovial joint.
- Use movement and lever terms in examples.
Connect joint structure with the amount and type of movement it allows.
Optional review
If you’d like to review the basics, visit Skeleton and Bone Structure. You can start this lesson without completing those first.
Structure and mobility are related, not identical
A joint is where bones meet. Fibrous joints use dense connective tissue and allow little or no movement, as in skull sutures. Cartilaginous joints join bones with cartilage and allow limited movement, as between vertebrae. Synovial joints have a fluid-filled cavity and usually allow the most movement, as at the knee. Structure predicts movement, but the categories are not perfect synonyms for fixed, slightly movable, and freely movable.
Do not judge a joint only by its location. Ask what connects the bones and whether a cavity is present. Dense fibers point to a fibrous joint, cartilage between bones points to a cartilaginous joint, and a capsule around a fluid space points to a synovial joint.
Synovial joints also differ by shape. A hinge joint mainly bends and straightens, as at the elbow. A pivot joint allows rotation, as in the upper neck. A ball-and-socket joint moves in many planes and rotates, as at the shoulder and hip.
The synovial membrane lining the joint capsule produces synovial fluid, which lubricates the moving surfaces.
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