Ball and socket joint

*Ball and socket joint*
Ball and socket joint
	1: Ball and socket joint; 2: Condyloid joint (Ellipsoid); 3: Saddle joint; 4 Hinge joint; 5: Pivot joint;
	Capsule of shoulder-joint (distended). Anterior aspect.
Identifiers
TA	A03.0.00.050
FMA	75301
	Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

A ball and socket joint (enarthrosis, spheroidal joint) is a joint in which the ball-shaped surface of a bone fits into the cup-like indentation of another bone. This type of joint allows the bone to move in a 360° angle—with more freedom than other joints.

Examples

Examples of this type of joint occur:

in the hip, where the rounded head of the femur (ball) rests in the cup-like acetabulum (socket) of the pelvis.
in the glenohumeral joint of the shoulder, where the rounded head of the humerus (ball) rests in the cup-like glenoid fossa (socket) of the shoulder blade.

Other images

Hip
Shoulder

References

↑ "Ball-and-socket joint". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
↑ "Synovial Joints - Ball and Socket Joints". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.

[1] "Ball-and-socket joint". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 10 March 2011.

[2] "Synovial Joints - Ball and Socket Joints". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.