Synovial Joints
What? Where? are synovial joints
Nearly all movable joints in your body are synovial joints.
That means that the ends of the bones have Articular cartilage covering the end of the bone, but the nourishment and cushioning of the joint comes from a special fluid called SYNOVIAL FLUID breathing matters? Seems like a very obvious question. To get oxygen into the body, is the most common answer. While we are young, our body automatically breaths for you. The specialised cells that monitor the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood, will alter the rate and depth of breathing. Other homeostatic mechanisms kick in such as the kidneys detecting a low blood flow and low oxygen and may stimulate increasing the amount of red blood cells produced in the bone marrow.
What’s so special about a Synovial joint, Synovial fluid and its production?
The joint does not have a blood flow into the joint. The blood flow is around the outside, the joint capsule.
As you move the joint, a pressure difference occurs and the necessary nutrients in the blood, are drawn across the Synovial membrane, into the joint as Synovial Fluid. This synovial fluid provides all the nutrients to renew and repair the articular cartilage.
Movement of the joint also aids with expulsion of all the metabolic by-products that build up in the joint during activity. This is especially important and is often forgotten when you are moving, especially exercising a joint.
The cosmetic industry is making a lot of money out of selling/adding Hyaluronic Acid to its products.
Hyaluronan also called Hyaluronic acid, is a specialised fluid found throughout the body but makes up the Synovial Fluid in most joints. It is called “the guardian of joints” as it provides the nourishment and cushioning to a synovial joint.
Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a ‘non-newtonian fluid’. That means that as the joint is moved, the production of HA is increased and as the HA fluid is moved and warmed, the HA becomes thicker and more supportive.
So, to keep synovial joints and the articular cartilage healthy, the joints need full range of motion (ROM) daily. This full ROM is also necessary to clean out (remove) all the metabolic by-products that occur when the joint tissue is active.
Many joints in the body are not moved daily. The toes, the side body, the thoracic vertebrae are commonly static. Many other joints are moved on a repetitive pattern and do not have a full ROM.
A dynamic ROM of all joints in the body as a wake up in the. Morning to get the joints and fluid moving after sleeping and a more gentle ROM of all joints before bed to ensure the metabolic by-products that have built during the day, is essential for good joint health.
Remember to always move within your own limitations and not force a joint to move.
