What are two examples of condylar joints?

• A. Shoulder and Hip
• B. Elbow and Knee
• C. Suture Joints
• D. Hock and Atlanto-Occipital Joint

Answer: (D)

Condylar joints, or ellipsoid joints, allow movement in two planes: flexion–extension and abduction–adduction, with a little rotation because of their oval articular surfaces fitting into a shallow cavity. The atlas–occipital joint is a classic example: the occipital condyles rest on the superior articular facets of the atlas, enabling nodding and a bit of side-to-side tilt. In the hind limb, the hock region contains articulations that are also ellipsoidal in nature, permitting that two-plane motion typical of condylar joints. By contrast, the shoulder and hip are ball-and-socket joints, the elbow and knee are mainly hinge joints, and suture joints are immovable fibrous joints.