What is the structure of a synovial joint?

What is the structure and function of a synovial joint?

• Answer:

  There are two major types of joints including freely movable joints which slide over each other easily and semi-movable joints, such as those in the spine, that are more stable but far less flexible. A few joints, such as those that make up the skull have no mobility at all. The human body has an astounding 300 different joints. Read more: http://skeletalmuscularsystem.suite101.com/article.cfm/human_skeletal_joints#ixzz0S1gj0nVi Equine; The synovial joint consists of two bone ends covered by articular cartilage. The articular cartilage is smooth and resilient and enables frictionless movement of the joint. The joint stability is maintained by a fibrous joint capsule, which attaches to both bones and collateral ligaments, which are at the sides of most joints. Collateral ligaments are important in maintaining stability in joints such as the fetlock, carpus, elbow, hock and stifle. There are also intra-articular ligaments, the best example of which are the cruciate (cross) ligaments maintaining integrity of the femorotibial compartments of the stifle joint. In addition, there are other ligaments (outside the joint cavity) that also support the integrity of joints. The best examples are the distal sesamoidean ligaments and suspensory ligament that together with the sesamoid bones make up the suspensory apparatus and hold the fetlock in its correct position. Disruption of any of these structures leads to a failure of support of the fetlock joint (one of the common catastrophic injuries in the racehorse