In these articulations the contiguous bony surfaces are either connected by broad flattened disks of fibrocartilage or hyaline growth cartilages. In this kind of joint the cartilage directly unites one bony structure to another ( bone – cartilage – bone). Cartilaginous joints are of two types
Symphyses
It is a type of joint where the intervening cartilage which connects the two bones is fibrocartilage. This intervening cartilage could be either in form of disk or plate.
The symphysis pubis is one such joint where two pubic bones are joined by fibrocartilage. As the joint is a weight bearing joint, therefore , under normal conditions very little motion occurs. It is primarily a stability joint. But during pregnancy slight widening of the joint occurs to ease the passage of the baby through the canal.
Another example of symphysis joint is articulation of adjacent vertebral bodies connected by intervertebral discs.
Synchondrosis.
It is a type of joint where the connecting material between two bones is hyaline growth cartilage. The cartilage forms a bond between two ossifying centers of long bone. This is a temporary form of joint, for the cartilage is converted into bone before adult life. The function of this joint is to permit bone growth, provide stability and allow a small amount of mobility. Such joints are found between the epiphyses and bodies of long bones and skull bones.
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