| Ball and socket joint | |
|---|---|
| 1: Ball and socket joint; 2: Condyloid joint (Ellipsoid); 3: Saddle joint; 4 Hinge joint; 5: Pivot joint; | |
| Capsule of shoulder-joint (distended). Anterior aspect. | |
| Latin | articulatio spheroidea |
| Gray's | subject #70 287 |
A ball and socket joint(enarthrosis, spheroidal joint) is a joint in which the distal bone is capable of motion around an indefinite number of axes, which have one common center. It enables the bone to move in many planes(almost all directions).
In a ball and socket (spheroid) joint, the ball-shaped surface of one rounded bone fits into the cup-like depression of another bone.
Examples of this form of articulation are found in the hip, where the rounded head of the femur (ball) rests in the cup-like acetabulum (socket) of the pelvis, and in the glenohumeral joint of the shoulder, where the rounded head of the humerus (ball) rests in the cup-like glenoid fossa (socket) of the shoulder blade.[1] It should be noted that the shoulder includes a second joint as well which is a saddle joint.
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.
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