Joint: Normal Anatomy, Function, and Pathological Condition

Abstract

Various motions of the body trunk and extremities are performed through the joint. The interdependent aspects of joint function are stability, motion, and load distribution. Joint structure is related with the joint function. The range of joint motion depends on the joint structure, articular cartilage, and soft tissue around the joint including the ligament, tendon, and muscle. Generally, the range of motion of the body trunk is much smaller than that of the extremities. Articular cartilage is evaluated using various modalities. Especially, cartilage degeneration has been studied by magnetic resonance imaging including dGEMRIC, T2 mapping, and T1rho mapping. Pathological condition is derived from the biological abnormalities such as cartilage degeneration and synovial infl ammation and from the mechanical abnormalities such as ligament rupture and meniscal injury. Joint diseases are monitored using various biochemical markers. Recently, joint instability or translation, which is thought to be causative factor of osteoarthritis, has been evaluated using several modern methods. Copyright © 2015 Institute of Race Relations.