Last Updated on August 26, 2025 by Sunit. S. Ekka
Do you know each and every movable joint in the human body is are synovial joint? They are called synovial joints because they are filled with synovial fluid, which acts as a lubricant. It is also interesting to know that there are 6 types of synovial joints in our body.
But our body also has numerous immovable joints that do not allow any movement.
In this article, we are concerned about the movable joints / synovial joints. We will see what its types are with figures and examples.
But, before we proceed, it would be important to learn a broad classification of joints, and then we will go to the types of synovial joints.
Table of Contents
Types of Joints in the Human Body: Classification & Functions
Whenever two or more bones meet, they form a joint. The human body has broadly two types of joints, one is an immovable joint and another is a movable joint.
Movable Joints (Synovial Joints): Structure and Role
Observe our body when we walk, run, jump, play sports, swim; it’s not hard to guess that all this action is due to the movement at our joints. These joints are movable joints, and our body consists of more of these types of joints.
Immovable Joints (Fibrous and Cartilaginous): Definition & Examples
However, there are other joints whose purpose is to maintain the structure of the body parts by not allowing movement; they are fixed and do not take part in any kind of movement. These are immovable joints.
Examples of Immovable Joints in Human Anatomy
The best example is the joint in our skull. Somewhat spherical in shape, our skull is actually formed by joining the pieces of bone. All the pieces join together as an immovable joint and form a stable structure of the skull.
But again immovable joints can again be divided into
- Fibrous joint
- Cartilaginous joints
Joints in our skull is an example of a fibrous joint.
Suggested reading: Pump handle movement of ribs with animation
Types of Synovial Joints: Anatomy, Examples, and Movements
There are a total of 7 types of synovial joints in the human body. These joints allow movement, which is why it is also known as movable joints.
Actually, the articulating surface of this type of joint is filled with a special lubricating fluid known as synovial fluid. This fluid provides lubrication to the joint and so it is also termed as. A typical synovial joint looks something like this.
Before we proceed, let us brush up on the anatomy of a synovial joint, which will help us understand the different types of synovial joints.
Anatomy of Synovial Joints: Structure and Function
The articular surface of the movable joint has a smooth lining called cartilage. Smooth cartilage allows frictionless movement, and this smoothness is further enhanced by body lubricants.
Our movable joints are also lubricated and filled with fluid known as synovial fluid, and this is why we call this joint a synovial Joint.
Remember in our childhood days when we would grease our bicycles or apply lubrication oil for a smooth ride, a moment of the wheels. If the bicycle is left unused for a long period and we do not lubricate it, it would crackle and the movement of the wheels would not be that smooth.
This also happens when our joints become dry of lubricants, the smooth articular surface becomes eroded, producing a crackling sound from the knee when we walk. It also produces great pain during walking, and this condition is known as arthritis.
Coming back to the topic, our movable joints can further be classified into 7 types.
Let us try to understand each type, its structure, and what makes them different from each other, with examples.
1) Plane Synovial Joint
We call it a plane because the articular surface is more or less flat or plane. To understand this, let us take our palm as to flat articular surface. When we rub our palms from each other, the one palm is actually gliding over the other.
So the plane joint permits gliding movement. The examples of plane joints are intercarpal joints, intertarsal joints, and joints between articular processes of vertebrae.
2) Hinge joint
In the hinge type of joints, the joint functions as a hinge. To understand the hinge joint, look at the door of your home, they are fixed over the Hinges from the sides and also observe laptops, where the screen is also attached to the body with Hinges.
Also, observe that the screen of the laptop or the door is movable, but it is only in a single plane. So, a type of synovial joint, the hinge joint of our body, also allows movement in a single plane, and this is why we call it a hinge joint.
Examples of hinge joints
Examples are the elbow joints, the ankle joints, interphalangeal joints.
3) Pivot joint
In these types of joints, the joint consists of a peg that is surrounded by a ring, and it also permits movement in one plane around the vertical axis. Our body also has joints that imitate a peg and ring and form a pivot joint.
Example of a pivot joint
One of the examples is the upper radio-ulnar joint present at the elbow joint. There is a central bony peg that is surrounded by an Osteo-ligamentous ring. Other examples are the inferior radio-ulnar joint, there present on the wrist joint, atlantoaxial joint.
4) Condylar joint
The fifth one under the types of synovial joints is the condylar joint. The articular surface in the condylar joint consists of two distinct condyles that fit with each other. One is a convex surface that fits perfectly into the concave surface. This structure is called the condyles.
Example of a condylar joint
One of the best examples of a condylar joint is our knee joints. Knee joints consist of two condyles forming a bicondylar joint. These joints also permit movement mainly in one plane around the transverse axis, but they also allow partial movements in another plane, such as rotation on the vertical axis.
Another example is the joints on the Jaws.
5) Ellipsoid joint
The ellipsoid joint also consists of a convex surface that fits into the concave surface. But the only things that differentiate from condylar types of the joint are that the concave and convex surface is made up of more than one bone.
Ellipsoid joint examples
The example of the wrist joint will clear the idea of the ellipsoid joint. In the wrist joint, the concave surface is combinedly formed by the radius and ulna that fit into the concave surface, which is made up of carpal bones.
Other examples are metacarpophalangeal joints and the atlantooccipital joint.
6) Saddle joint
Have you ever observed the shape of a horse saddle? It is somewhat reciprocally concavoconvex. The articular surface of a saddle joint is also concavoconvex. Movement in the saddle joint is somewhat similar to the ellipsoid joint; in addition, there is also rotation around a third axis.
Example of a saddle joint
The examples are the carpometacarpal joint, the thermochemical joints and clan calcaneocuboid joint.
- The skull can be removed and disassembled into three parts (skullcap, base of skull, mandible)
- The arms and legs are removable
- The hip joints are specially mounted so their natural rotation can be demonstrated
7) Ball and socket joints
The last on the list of types of synovial joints is the most movable of all the types. As the name suggests, the ball and socket joint consists of a ball that fits into the socket, a cup-shaped socket.
The spherical ball fits into the cup-shaped socket and that’s why it allows movement in almost all direction. It gives great freedom of movement.
Example of ball and socket joint
One of the best examples is our shoulder joint.
The head of the humerus has a perfectly spherical shape that fits into the cup-shaped socket of the scapula. Since the socket of the scapula is very shallow, it allows great freedom of movement in every direction.
They allow Movement in flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, rotation, and elevation. Other examples are the hip joint and the talocalcaneonavicular joint.
Types of Human Joints at a Glance
| Joint Type | Classification | Example(s) | Movement Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fibrous Joint | Immovable | Skull Sutures | No movement |
| Cartilaginous Joint | Slightly Movable | Intervertebral Discs, Pubic Symphysis | Limited movement |
| Plane Joint (Synovial) | Movable | Intercarpal Joints (wrist), Intertarsal Joints (foot) | Gliding/sliding movements |
| Hinge Joint (Synovial) | Movable | Elbow, Knee, Ankle, Interphalangeal Joints | Flexion & Extension |
| Pivot Joint (Synovial) | Movable | Atlantoaxial Joint (neck), Radioulnar Joints | Rotation |
| Condylar Joint (Synovial) | Movable | Knee Joint, Temporomandibular Joint (jaw) | Flexion, Extension, Limited Rotation |
| Ellipsoid Joint (Synovial) | Movable | Wrist Joint (Radiocarpal), Metacarpophalangeal Joints | Flexion, Extension, Abduction, Adduction, Circumduction |
| Saddle Joint (Synovial) | Movable | Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint | Flexion, Extension, Abduction, Adduction, Opposition |
| Ball and Socket Joint (Synovial) | Movable | Shoulder (Glenohumeral), Hip | Greatest range: Flexion, Extension, Abduction, Adduction, Rotation, Circumduction |
Frequently Asked Questions
The author is a physiotherapist who has been practising for the last 17 years. He holds a Bachelor's in Physiotherapy (BPT) from SVNIRTAR (Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation and Research), one of the prestigious physiotherapy schools in India.
Whatever he learns dealing with his patient, he shares it with the world through blogs and e-books. He also owns a YouTube channel, "Sunit Physiotherapist" with over 8 lakh active subscribers. Here, he shares everything he gets to learn serving the patient.
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