Blog #8

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body. This is because of the fact that it
is a ball-and-socket joint which is the joint that provides the largest range of motion
(arthritisresearch 1). There are several types of joints within the skeletal system
that exist and they all serve different purposes and have a range of motions such as
elbow, gliding, hinge, saddle, hip, and more (innerbody 1). The shoulder joint is
surrounded by a tough fibrous sleeve, called the capsule, which assists to hold the
joint together. The inner layer of the capsule which is called the synovium, produces
a fluid which nourishes the cartilage and lubricates the joint so it moves smoother.
Along with muscles this is how a shoulder blade works simplified. Now were going
to move to the elbow.
The elbow joint is where the long bone at the top of your arm (the humerus) meets
the two bones of your forearm (the radius and the ulna). This is not a ball and
socket joint like the shoulder, but instead it is a hinge joint. It can move in the shape
of a hinge whereas the shoulder had more free motion. The upper part of the radius
can also rotate on the smooth surface of the capitellum, a part of the humerus,
which helps to twist the forearm (arthritisresearch 2). The two bony parts of the
elbow consists of the lateral epicondyle on the outside of the arm, and the medial
epicondyle on the inside of the arm.
The ulnar nerves lies right below the medial epicondyle is what is responsible for
the movements of the small muscles in the hand. Any precise or delicate hand
movements are affected by this. When someone hits their funny bone, its actually
them hitting the ulnar nerve.
The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body. The knee joins
the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone). A lot of small muscles and
ligaments help make the knee a lot better such as the anterior cruciate ligament
which prevents the femur from sliding backward on the tibia. Two C-shaped pieces
of cartilage called the medial and lateral menisci act as shock absorbers between
the femur and tibia (webmd 1). Numerous bursae, or fluid-filled sacs, help the knee
move smoothly. This joint is also a hinge joint.
These are just some of the major joints within the body and as you can see some of
them have similarities such as the type of joint shared by the knee and elbow, and
there also exists a bunch of differences. Joints play an important role to the body

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?
topic=A00094

http://ranzcrpart1.wikia.com/w
iki/Elbow_joint

http://www.medicine
net.com/image-collection/knee_joint_picture/picture.htm

Works Cited
"How Does the Elbow Work?" How Does the Elbow Work? N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
"How Does the Shoulder Work?" How Does the Shoulder Work? N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar.
2016.
"Knee (Human Anatomy): Images, Function, Ligaments, Muscles." WebMD. WebMD, n.d.
Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
"Types of Joints." InnerBody. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.