The hip joint (Art. Coxae)
Joint head: caput femoris
Joint socket: acetabulum in the pelvis, ball-and-socket joint
Movement: flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, internal/external rotation
The ankle joint (Art. Talocruralis)
Articular head: trochlea of the talus (talus, foot)
Articular surface: crus , distal (tibia – lower leg)
Joint type: hinge joint
Movement: plantar flexion/dorsiflexion, supination/pronation – occurs lower down in the joint
The Knee Joint (Art. Genu)
Articular head: Femur
Articular surface: Tibia
Joint type: Hinge joint
Movement: Flexion/extension, slight external rotation/internal rotation (only when the knee is bent)
Left knee joint, viewed from the front.
Right knee joint, viewed from the inside.
Below, image of the joint capsule (synovium) in blue.
The knee has two cruciate ligaments, the posterior and anterior (anterior/posterior cruciate ligaments). The anterior cruciate ligament runs from the femur to the tibia in an anterior/medial/inferior direction. It prevents the tibia from sliding forward. It attaches partially to the joint capsule, which is why a cruciate ligament injury causes a swollen knee. The posterior cruciate ligament runs inferiorly/laterally and crosses the anterior one; it prevents the tibia from moving backward.
The image below on the left shows the joint capsule (colored blue), and the image on the right shows cruciate ligament injuries of varying degrees.
The Humerus (Art. Humeri)
Humerus head: caput humeri
Glenoid cavity: cavitas glenoidalis
Joint type: ball-and-socket joint
Movement: flexion/extension , abduction/adduction, external rotation/internal rotation
The elbow joint (Art. Cubiti)
Joint head: capitulum humeri/trochlea humeri
Joint surface: caput radii/incisura trochlearis
Joint type: hinge joint
Movement: flexion/extension , supination/pronation (art. Radio-ulnaris)
The wrist (Art. Radiocarpea)
Articular head: proximal row of carpal bones
Articular surface: distal radius
Joint type: ball-and-socket
Movement: palmar flexion/dorsal flexion , radial flexion/ulnar flexion, supination/pronation
