Anatomy & Physiology Unit 4
Chapter 5—Joints and Disorders
Name ______KEY____________________________
Date ___________________ Hour _______________
1. What is another name for a joint? ____articulation_____________________________________
2. What is the only bone in the human body that does not form a joint with another bone? _hyoid bone__
3. Joints are classified in two ways ___functionally_____ & ___structurally______________
4. What are the three functional classes of joints? Briefly describe each.
a. Synarthroses—immovable joints
b. Amphiarthroses—slightly movable joints
c. Diarthroses—freely movable joints
We do not focus much on functional classes of joints as much as structural classification. For this
reason, you will be required to study structural classes for any future quiz or test.
5. What are the three structural classes of joints? Briefly describe each.
a. Fibrous Joints—fibrous tissue separates the bony regions at the joint, immovable
b. Cartilaginous Joints—cartilage tissue separates the bony regions at the joint, can be
immovable or slightly movable
c. Synovial Joints—a joint cavity separates the bony regions at the joint, freely movable
6. In fibrous joints, the bones are united by __fibrous___________ tissue. The best examples of this type
of joint are the ___sutures_______ of the skull.
7. In sutures, the irregular bones interlock and are bound tightly together by ___connective___________
tissue fibers, allowing essentially no ___movement__________ to occur.
8. The other types of fibrous joint are known as ___syndesmoses_____________ where the connecting
fibers are longer than those found in sutures. This allows the joint to have more __”give”_______. An
example of this would be the joint between the distal ends of the ___tibia_______________ &
__fibula____________.
9. In ____cartilaginous_______________ joints, the bone ends are connected by cartilage. Two examples
of this type of joint include the ____pubic_____________ ____symphysis______________ of the
pelvis and the ____intervertebral___________ joints of the spinal column.
10. The discs in between the vertebrae of the spine are made of __fibrocartilage_______________.
11. There are two synarthroses or immovable cartilaginous joints. They include the epiphyseal growth
plates of ___long_________ bones and the joints between the first or “true” ribs and the sternum.
12. Have you caught the spelling error on page 143 yet? If so, what is it? __JOWINTS___________
13. Synovial joints are those in which the articulating bone ends are separated by a joint cavity containing a
friction reducing fluid called ___synovial______________ fluid.
14. What are the four distinguishing features of synovial joints? Briefly describe each.
a. Articular cartilage—hyaline cartilage covers the ends of the bones forming the joint
b. Fibrous articular capsule—joint surfaces are enclosed by a sleeve of fibrous connective
tissue, this capsule is lined with a smooth synovial membrane that produces synovial fluid
c. Joint cavity—the articular capsule encloses a cavity, called the joint cavity, which contains
lubricating synovial fluid
d. Reinforcing ligaments—the fibrous capsule is reinforced structurally with ligaments
15. Label the synovial joint diagram with the each of the terms in the previous question.
Reinforcing ligament
synovial cavity filled with synovial fluid
articular (hyaline) cartilage
articular capsule
synovial membrane
periosteum
16. A ____dislocation____________________ happens when a bone is forced out of its normal position in
the joint cavity. The process of returning the bone to its proper position is called __reduction________
and should only be done by a trained professional like a physician.
17. What are the six types of synovial joints?
a. __plane joint______________
b. __hinge joint______________
c. __pivot joint______________
d. __condyloid joint__________
e. __saddle joint_____________
f. __ball-and –socket joint_____
Disorders
18. Inflammation of the bursae or synovial membrane is a painful condition called ____Bursitis_____.
19. What is a sprain?
A sprain is an injury where the ligaments or tendons that reinforce joints are damaged by
excessive stretching, or sometimes where they are torn away from the attachment points on the
bones. These two organs are made of dense connective tissue and therefore have a very poor
blood supply which is a major reason why these injuries take a great deal of time to heal.
20. Few inflammatory joint disorders cause more pain and suffering than ____Arthritis_______. There are
over __100__ different inflammatory conditions referred to as arthritis that damage the joints in the
human body. Recent statistics have estimated that __1__ in ___7____ people suffer from arthritis in the
US alone.
21. What are some of the common symptoms of arthritis?
Common symptoms include pain, stiffness in joints, and swelling of the joints themselves.
22. The most common form of arthritis is called OA or ______Osteoarthritis____________. It is often
commonly called “___Wear and Tear Arthritis_______” because it affects the articular cartilages.
23. What happens to this cartilage as we age?
It becomes softer, can fray at the ends, and can eventually break down completely as we age. This
increases the risk of bones rubbing against other bones which can lead to bone spurs and
significant pain.
24. Extra bone tissue or _____Bone Spurs________ form at the exposed ends of bone. Although the
course of osteoarthritis is slow and irreversible, it is rarely _____Crippling_________. Common forms
of treatment include _____Mild Analgesics____________ like aspirin, moderate activity to keep joints
mobile, and rest when necessary.
25. RA or ______Rheumatoid Arthritis________ is a chronic inflammatory joint disorder. It is more
common in _____Women/Females_______ and usually occurs between the ages of _40_& _50__.
26. RA is said to progress in a symmetrical manner. What does this mean?
This means that if your left elbow or knee is affected, that it also simultaneously affects the right
elbow or knee.
27. RA is an ____Autoimmune_____ disorder where the body attacks and tries to destroy its own tissues.
The initial trigger for RA is ____Unknown_____ but some doctors suspect that it might be caused by
___bacteria_____ or ___viral infections______.
28. Briefly describe the progression of RA in humans below.
It begins with inflammation of the synovial membranes causing them to thicken and the joints to
swell up as synovial fluid accumulates. Inflammatory cells can enter the joint cavity from the
blood and produce pannus which later erodes the articular cartilages in the joints. As more and
more cartilage is destroyed, scar tissue forms and connects the ends of the two bones. This scar
tissue ossifies and can even fuse the two bones together (a condition called ankylosis) leading to
deformation of the joint altogether. This certainly restricts the joint’s ability to move and causing
extreme pain.
29. What are some of the current therapies for RA available?
Current therapies for RA include a variety of drug therapies like cyclosporine or methotrexate,
especially ones geared toward neutralizing the inflammatory chemicals in the joint space in hopes
to prevent joint deformity. Aspirin is the initial go-to and can, in large doses, be an effective antiinflammatory agent. Exercise is encouraged to maintain mobility as much as possible and coldpacks are often used to reduce swelling in these troublesome areas. As a last result, there are
some joint replacement surgeries are available for advanced cases.
30. What is Gouty Arthritis or Gout?
Gouty Arthritis or Gout is usually a kidney related disorder. It involves impaired kidney
function, especially in waste removal. The kidneys remove excess uric acid in the urine we
excrete. However, if they are not working, uric acid accumulates – particularly in the joints
where crystal formation occurs. This causes agonizing pain, usually in one joint like the big toe.
31. Gout is more common in __Males___ and rarely affects people before the age of ____30_____. It runs
in families, so physicians believe there are definitely ___genetic_______ factors that contribute to the
onset of this disease.
32. What are some of the treatment options or physician recommendations for those affected by Gout?
They can use drugs like colchicine to prevent gout attacks. Doctors also recommend that
individuals who are obese lose weight. They also recommend that people avoid foods such a liver,
kidneys, and sardines because these foods are high in nucleic acids and uric acid is a by-product
of nucleic acid digestion. They also recommend avoiding alcohol which can interfere with the
excretion of uric acid by the kidneys.
Go to page 149.
33. What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease where individuals lose bone density and overall mass,
particularly in the form of calcium and mineral salts. This leads to thin, fragile bones – especially
in the spine and neck of the femur.
34. Which gender seems to be affected more by osteoporosis? Explain why.
Women are more affected overall because they go through menopause later in age. Estrogen
helps maintain bone health and normal density of the skeleton. This hormone becomes more
deficient after menopause and thus bone density and overall health can become compromised.
35. What are some of the other contributing factors to osteoporosis?
Other factors include diets poor in calcium and protein, lack of vitamin D, smoking, and
insufficient weight-bearing exercise to stress the bones in maintaining significant density to
prevent breaks.
36. Many elderly people try to help themselves by saving their strength? Why is this not beneficial? Hint:
think about physics…..A body in motion tends to stay in ____Motion___.
People are encourages to maintain mobility even if it hurts at times. The more a person uses the
joint, the longer they will be able to use the joint in the future. When they start saving their
strength and not moving as much, the body compensates by reducing bone mass because it feels
that it is no longer needed in that concentration. This weakens the bones more and sometimes to
the point where they can no longer be used to bear weight.