Following are the different types of joints,
i. Immovable or fibrous joints. They are fixed joints. They never move. Example: joints of skull.
ii. Slightly movable or cartilaginous joints. These joints provide very little movement. Example: backbone joints, pelvic joints.
iii. Freely movable or synovial joints. These joints provide different movements. There are five main types of movable joints.
- Hinge joint. These joints allow a forward and backward movement. Example: knee joints, elbow joints.
- Pivot joint. These joints give a rotation movement. Such as the movement of neck.
- Ball and socket joint. In these joints one bone has ball like shape and other has a socket like shape. They are fit together to make a free movable joint. Example shoulder joint and hip joint.
- Saddle joint. It is a joint where one of the bones forming the joint is shaped like a saddle with the other bone resting on it like a rider on a horse. Example: wrist joint.
- Gliding joint. It is a joint in which articulation of contiguous bones allows only gliding movements, as in the wrist and the ankle.
