Bones are connected with one another with joints. The hip and the shoulder are both examples of ball and socket joints.  They allow you to swing your arms and legs in many different directions. In the ball and socket joint, the oval-shaped condyle of one bone fits into the elliptical cavity of the other bone.

There are several hinge joints in the limbs. All fingers, elbows, knees, and toes have hinge joints that also allow movement back and forth, movement similar to the opening and closing of a hinged door.

The only saddle joints in your body are found in your thumbs. The bones of a saddle joint can rock back and forth and from side to side, but they have limited rotation. Condylar joints are found at the wrist, connecting the radius and carpal bones, and at the base of the index finger.

The pivot joint in your neck allows you to turn your head from side to side. This joint would even allow for a complete rotation but other factors, including muscles, prevent that from happening. One pivot joint in your neck allows sideways rotation only, whereas another pivot joint allows the head to move back and forth. 

The picture on the right shows various types of joints found in the human body.

• A. Ball and socket joint (shoulder joint)
• B. Hinge joint (forearm)
• C. Condylar joint (joint near the wrist)
• D. Saddle joint (joint between thumb and palm).