What do a gibbon swinging through the trees...
A dolphin twisting in the ocean...
And a baseball player hitting a home run, all have in common?
All three actions are made possible by the same type of joint.
A joint is where two different bones join together.
joint
two bones join together
Some joints, like those between the bones in your skull, don't move at all.
skull
While others, like the hinge joints in your elbow, only move in one direction.
hinge joints
elbow
But the joint in a gibbon's wrist...
A dolphin's flipper...
And a human shoulder, allows movement in many directions.
These are called ball and socket joints.
Ball and Socket Joint
In a ball and socket joint, the end of one bone is shaped like a ball...
ball
The end of the other bone, called the socket, is shaped like a shallow bowl.
socket
The ball fits into the socket and can move in any direction around the central point of the socket.
This gives that bone the ability to move not only up and down, but side to side too.
We have ball and socket joints in our hips as well as in our shoulders.
Ball and socket joints give our arms and legs an incredible amount of movement.
They are the most flexible joints in the skeleton...
ball and socket joint
most flexible in skeleton
Allowing humans to swing bats...
Gibbons to swing through trees...
And dolphins to steer through the seas.
Ball and socket joints allow movement in many directions.
What do a baseball player's shoulder and a dolphin's flipper have in common?
- A joint is where two bones join together.
- Not all joints in the body move.
- A ball and socket joint can move in any direction.
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