Pivot joints, also known as rotary joints, are a type of synovial joint that permit axial rotation. The moving bone rotates within a ring formed by the concave surface of a second bone and an adjoining ligament.
Movements
Pivot joints allow rotation around a single axis only and therefore mechanically speaking they possess only one degree of freedom.
- axial rotation
Examples
- median atlantoaxial joint between the dens of C2 and the anterior arch of C1
- proximal radioulnar joint at the elbow
- distal radioulnar joint at the wrist
The proximal and distal radioulnar joints pivot together such that the radius twists around the ulnar to allow pronation and supination of the forearm.