23rd October 2009
Like the elbow, the knee joint is an example of a hinge joint with added complexity. The condyles of the femur are enlarged rounded areas at the base of the femur and they make up the knee joint with the enlarged flattened area of the upper end of the tib...
20th October 2009
We looked at the relevance of a discrepancy in length of leg on the ability to use the hip in a previous article. The leg which is the longer has to stay slightly bent to manage to keep the eyes and head level, preventing the hip from achieving full exten...
20th October 2009
A normal joint exhibits accessory movements which are small sliding and gliding motions inside the joint, occurring during movement but a person is incapable of performing them in isolation. They are very important in joint function and should they be red...
16th October 2009
The hips are ball and socket joints between the legs and the pelvic part of the trunk. The joint consists of a rounded ball (the femoral head) which fits into the reciprocally rounded socket (the acetabulum) which is quite deep and envelops most of the he...
12th October 2009
The large majority of the bodys joints, including the elbow, are capable of producing what are known as accessory movements, small sliding and gliding movements occurring inside a joint which a person cannot perform on their own. Accessory movements are v...
12th October 2009
The elbow makes up the middle joint of the arm and makes two reasonable length and useful levers of the arm. At first glance the elbow looks like a simple forwards and backwards hinge but on looking more closely it is capable of a lot more. The upper arm ...
09th October 2009
The spring ligament, a strong fibrous band, stretches from the calcaneus to the navicular, running under the talus on the way, keeping the foot arch in place. The arch of the foot is maintained by the spring ligament holding the bones together against the...
09th October 2009
The ankle is a very particular joint, commonly referred to as a mortise joint. It hinges backwards and forwards whilst we are walking and also gives the sideways support to allow us to hold our balance in moving and unstable conditions. The ankle hinge co...
09th October 2009
As the shoulder movement becomes less well balanced a typical pattern develops of raising the whole shoulder area, tipping the neck slightly over to the same side and allowing the scapula to wing away from the chest at the back. This biomechanical pattern...
30th September 2009
The shoulder is a very special joint. It allows a very great degree of movement to occur at the important junction between the torso and the arm. Notionally a ball and socket joint, the shoulder has been modified so this structure is much less clear than ...
29th September 2009
If the pain is judged as coming from the joint in question then certain decisions have to be made as to the causes of this. Inflammatory arthritis is the first category to be considered, with inflammatory changes affecting the the synovial membranes and t...
25th September 2009
Reiter's syndrome is another name for reactive arthritis, although the latter is being used more commonly now. Genitourinary infections with organisms such as Chlamydia and gastrointestinal infections such as with Salmonella are known to be associated wit...
24th September 2009
There are many different potential causes for joint pain and these include infection, accidents, crystals in the joint, inflammation and articular cartilage damage. The clinical history and joint examination are the strongest guides to establishing a diff...
24th September 2009
Osteoporosis is a worldwide problem, though mostly documented in countries with advanced healthcare systems, and affects many millions of people across all countries. Women have a higher lifetime risk of a fracture due to osteoporosis with about thirty to...
23rd September 2009
The brachial plexus is a complex collection of interconnected nerves which is placed on both sides of the neck and runs down towards the armpit where it splits into a series of nerves which run down the arm. Like all nerves this plexus is vulnerable to tr...
