Synovial Joint Mechanics

Abstract

Up to this point, this book has primarily discussed bone, but we now put aside this tissue and direct our attention to the soft tissues of the skeletal system. In this chapter we explore the mechanics of synovial joints, and in the last chapter, tendons and ligaments. However, we must not forget what we have learned about bone, because its presence heavily influences the characteristics of the new tissues we are going to study.

[The bone ends] are covered with a smooth elastic crust, to prevent mutual abrasion; connected with string ligaments, to prevent dislocation; and enclosed in a bag that contains a proper fluid deposited there for lubricating the two contiguous surfaces.

William Hunter (1743)