Which of the following is an example of a condylar joint?

• A. Shoulder
• B. Elbow
• C. Hock
• D. Sacroiliac

Answer: (C)

Condylar joints feature an oval convex area of one bone that fits into a shallow concave surface on the other, allowing movement in two planes—typically flexion/extension and abduction/adduction—with limited rotation.

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint, which moves in many directions; the elbow is a hinge joint, mostly flexion and extension in one plane; the sacroiliac joint is a plane (gliding) joint with little movement. The hock, however, has a proximal articulation between the lower leg bones and the first row of tarsal bones that functions with an oval-convex/concave arrangement, enabling two-plane movement. This makes it the example that best fits a condylar joint.