AN2.1-6 | General features of bones & Joints — Glossary

The tubular shaft of a long bone composed of compact bone surrounding the medullary cavity

The expanded end of a long bone composed mostly of spongy bone, covered by articular cartilage at the joint surface

The transitional zone between diaphysis and epiphysis containing the growth plate in growing bones

Growth plate of hyaline cartilage between the epiphysis and metaphysis responsible for longitudinal bone growth; replaced by the epiphyseal line in adults

Fibrous membrane covering the outer surface of bone (except at articular surfaces), richly innervated and vascularised

Dense, hard bone forming the outer shell of all bones and the shaft of long bones, composed of concentric lamellae (Haversian systems)

Lattice-like bone with trabeculae enclosing marrow spaces, found in epiphyses, vertebral bodies, and between flat bone tables

The principal artery supplying the diaphysis of a long bone, entering through the nutrient foramen and directed away from the growing end

Bone formation directly from mesenchyme without a cartilage precursor; occurs in flat bones of the skull, clavicle, and mandible

Bone formation by replacement of a hyaline cartilage model; the process by which most bones develop

An epiphysis that forms an articular surface and transmits weight (e.g., head of femur)

An epiphysis at a site of muscle or tendon attachment that does not form an articular surface (e.g., greater trochanter)

A bone that develops within a tendon to alter the direction of pull, reduce friction, and protect the tendon; the patella is the largest example

The most common type of cartilage with a glassy matrix of type II collagen; found at articular surfaces, tracheal rings, and growth plates; avascular and heals poorly

Cartilage containing a dense network of elastic fibres providing flexibility; found in the auricle, epiglottis, and Eustachian tube

Cartilage with thick type I collagen bundles resistant to compression; found in intervertebral discs, pubic symphysis, and menisci

A freely movable joint with a joint cavity containing synovial fluid, articular cartilage, synovial membrane, and fibrous capsule

The nerve that supplies a joint also supplies the muscles moving that joint and the skin overlying their insertions

A fibrous joint between skull bones united by fibrous tissue, classified as synarthrosis (immovable)

A fibrous joint where bones are connected by an interosseous membrane or ligament allowing slight movement (e.g., inferior tibiofibular joint)

A primary cartilaginous joint united by hyaline cartilage, typically temporary (e.g., epiphyseal plate)

A secondary cartilaginous joint united by a fibrocartilage disc (e.g., pubic symphysis, intervertebral disc)

The spongy bone between the inner and outer tables of flat skull bones, containing red marrow throughout life