Module 4 : Joints & Ligament

• Ligaments


  Connective tissue bands that extend from bone to bone
• Tendon


  Connective tissue bands that connect muscle to bone
• Intracapsular (intra-articular) ligaments


  • Found within joints and are surrounded by the synovial membrane (e.g., cruciate ligaments of the stifle)
• Extracapsular (periarticular) ligaments


  • External to the joint capsule
  • Collateral ligaments - lie on the medial and lateral aspects of a joint
  • Dorsal and palmar (or plantar) ligaments - lie in front of and behind the joint
  • Annular ligament - surrounds the joint
• Temporomandibular joint
• Intermandibular joint
• Joints of Auditory Ossicles
• Joints of Hyoid Apparatus
• Temporomandibular joint is a condylar joint that allows considerable sliding movement
• The symphysis of the mandible is the median synchondrosis uniting right and left mandibular bodies
• Joints of Auditory Ossicles allow for movement of the malleus, incus, and stapes
• Head of the malleus articulates with the body of the incus = Incudomallear joint
• Lenticular process of the incus with the head of the stapes = Incudostapedial joint
• Footplate articulates with the vestibular window = Fibrous union
• Tympanohyoid cartilage articulates with the mastoid part of the temporal bone
• Atlanto-occipital joint
• Atlantoaxial joint
• Long ligaments


  • Nuchal ligament
  • Supraspinous ligament
  • Ventral longitudinal ligament
  • Dorsal longitudinal ligament
• Short ligaments


  • Interspinous ligaments
  • Intertransverse ligaments
  • Yellow ligaments/interarcuate ligaments
• Nuchal ligament
• Ligaments


  • Nuchal ligament
  • Supraspinous ligament
  • Ventral longitudinal ligament
  • Dorsal longitudinal ligament
  • Interspinous ligaments
  • Intertransverse ligaments
  • Yellow ligaments/interarcuate ligaments
• Nuchal ligament composed of longitudinal yellow elastic fibers that attach cranially to the caudal part of the heavy spinous process of the axis
• Supraspinous ligament
• Ventral longitudinal ligament lies on the ventral surfaces of the bodies of the vertebrae. It can be traced from the axis to the sacrum
• Dorsal longitudinal ligament lies on the dorsal surfaces of the bodies of the vertebrae. It forms a part of the floor of the vertebral canal and connects adjacent vertebral spines consisting of laterally compressed bands of tissue interspersed with muscle bundles of the interspinales muscles
• Yellow ligaments/interarcuate ligaments consist of bundles of fibers which unite the craniolaterally directed transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae
• Ligaments of the rib


  • Ligament of the head
  • Intercapital ligament
  • Ligaments of the tubercle
  • Ligament of the neck of the tubercular joint
• Ligament of the head is a small ligamentous band that passes from the head of the rib to the lateral part of the disc
• Intercapital ligament runs from the head of one rib over the dorsal part of the disc, but under the dorsal longitudinal ligament, to the head of the opposite rib
• Rib articulations are synovial joints formed by the first 8 costal cartilages articulating with the sternum
• Joints between the ribs and the costal cartilages apparently have no synovial cavities developed
• Joints


  • Shoulder joint
  • Elbow joint
  • Radioulnar joints
  • Carpal joints
  • Metacarpal joints
  • Phalangeal joints
  • Interdigital ligaments
• The humeroradial part of the elbow joint transmits most of the weight supported by the limb
• Joints


  • Sacro-iliac joint
  • Hip joint
  • Stifle joint/Knee joint
  • Tibiofibular joints
  • Tarsal joints
• Joints


  • Structures between bones
  • Allow movements
  • Can be classified as simple joint or compound joint
• Types of Joints


  • Fibrous Joints
  • Cartilaginous Joints
  • Synovial Joints
• Syndesmosis is a fibrous joint with a considerable amount of intervening connective tissue
• Suture is confined largely to the flat bones of the skull
• Gomphosis is the specialized articulation of teeth in their alveoli (sockets)
• Serrated suture articulates by means of reciprocally alternating processes and depressions