Locomotion and Movement

Biology · Class 11

Simulation · Biology · Class 11

How far does each joint move?

From the lesson Joints in Locomotion and Movement. Change the values and watch what happens.

How far does each joint move?Biology · Class 11

The idea behind it

NCERT §17.4

  • A joint is a place where two bones meet, or a bone meets a cartilage; no bony part of the body can move without one.
  • Muscles generate the force, and the joint acts as the fulcrum for the movement.
  • By structure there are three kinds: fibrous, cartilaginous and synovial.
  • Fibrous joints allow no movement. Example: the sutures, dense fibrous tissue joining the flat skull bones end to end to form the cranium.
  • In cartilaginous joints the bones are held together by cartilage. Example: the joints between adjacent vertebrae, which permit limited movement.
  • Synovial joints have a fluid-filled synovial cavity between the two articulating surfaces and allow considerable movement, so they matter most for locomotion.
  • Synovial joint examples: ball and socket (humerus and pectoral girdle), hinge (knee), pivot (atlas and axis), gliding (between the carpals) and saddle (carpal and metacarpal of the thumb).