A plane joint (arthrodial joint, gliding joint, plane articulation) is a
synovial joint
A synovial joint, also known as diarthrosis, joins bones or cartilage with a fibrous joint capsule that is continuous with the periosteum of the joined bones, constitutes the outer boundary of a synovial cavity, and surrounds the bones' articulati ...
which, under physiological conditions, allows only gliding movement.
Plane joints permit sliding movements in the plane of articular surfaces. The opposed surfaces of the bones are flat or almost flat, with movement limited by their tight joint capsules. Based only on their shape, plane joints can allow multiple movements, including rotation. Thus plane joints can be functionally classified as
multiaxial joints.
Plane joints are numerous and are nearly always small, such as the
acromioclavicular joint between the
acromion of the
scapula and the
clavicle. Typically, they are found in the
wrists,
ankles, the 2nd through 7th
sternocostal joints, vertebral transverse and
spinous processes.
[Moore, et al. ''Introduction to Clinically Oriented Anatomy''. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006.]
References
Joints
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