I've already written 50+ posts and recently got the question: you often talk about muscles, joints, bones, ligaments and nerves, but what are these really? I will briefly explain what joints are.
What is a joint?
A joint is a connection between usually two bones that allows movement. Usually there is some cartilage between these bone connections. The cartilage is very smooth like ice. This makes it possible to make smooth movements. A lubricant is also produced in the joint. This is called synovia. This makes the joint even smoother. Synovia is produced in the joint when you move.
There are ligaments and muscles around a joint. Do you want to read more about this? Then read my posts about this. Other structures that can be around or in a joint are menisci, labrums or bursa. Often when someone gets complaints, this can be due to the above structures. Such as an overload of a muscle, a strained ligament, a torn meniscus or labrum and an inflammation of the bursa
Joints aren't just bone to bone. As long as there is movement in a location between two or more structures, it can be called a joint.
- Bone to bone: knee
- Bone to muscle: kneecap
- Organ on organ: small intestines with other organs
- Organ on muscle: Kidney with m. Psoas
What movements can a joint make?
The range of motion of a joint all depends on the shape of the joint. I won't bore you with all the joints of the human body and the different names, but it boils down to this. Scientifically speaking, joints have only 6 movements or less (of course we have exceptions like our collarbone). These are bending or stretching, sideways bending or stretching, and rotating in and out. So it depends on how the joint looks to perform these movements. For example, a shoulder can make all movements. And a knee can only bend and extend and rotate slightly when it is bent.
Small fact: we have about 360 joints.
Questions, feedback or ideas for new posts? Message me.
Kind regards,
Sascha Bargi BSc. Pt. & MSc. Ost. in training
