Shoulder and elbow anatomy

The shoulder joint is the most flexible joint of the entire human body and is formed by the participation of 3 bones of the humerus, the scapula and the clavicle. Although usually considered as one joint, the shoulder is actually made up of two separate joints: the glenohumeral and acromioclavicular joints. These two joints work together to allow both movement of the arm in a large circle in the plane of the shoulder and rotation of the arm about its axis.

The scapula bone is generally triangular in shape and is undercut in front, where it articulates with the chest wall. On its outer side it bears a slightly undercut pear-shaped surface for articulation with the head of the humerus. It also has two important projections: the scapular acanthus posteriorly, which terminates at the flattened withers and the coracoid process anteriorly.

The elbow is a complex joint that we use every day in a variety of ways. Like any joint in the body, it is made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments, synovial fluid, nerves and blood vessels. The movements of the elbow are carried out by the muscles and tendons.

More specifically, the elbow joint consists of three bones, the humerus, radius and ulna. The radius and ulna form the forearm peripheral to the elbow, while the humerus is central to the joint.

These three bones are connected to each other by strong ligaments to enable the joint to perform anatomical movements such as flexion and extension, pronation and hyperextension. All these movements allow the hand to turn in all directions.

The three major nerves of the upper limb meet at the elbow. The radial nerve running from the outer surface of the elbow, the ulnar nerve from the inner surface and the median nerve on the anterior surface of the joint.