What is the shoulder joint?

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The the shoulder joint is called the glenohumeral joint. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a ball-and-socket synovial joint.

Summary

The the shoulder joint is called the glenohumeral joint. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a ball-and-socket synovial joint.

What it is

  • A ball-and-socket synovial joint.
  • Formed where the head of the humerus meets the shallow glenoid cavity of the scapula.
  • The most freely movable joint in the body.

Where it is

  • Between the upper arm and the trunk.
  • Reinforced by the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles.
  • Held in place mainly by muscles, since the socket is very shallow.

Sources

According to Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918, public domain):

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