Elbow

The elbow is the hinge joint in the middle of the arm. This allows the hand to be moved and stretched away from the body to reach or grasp. The elbow is a joint with flexor muscles and ligaments that control the bending and rotation of the arm. As a hinge joint, the elbow has limited movement and only allows for flexing and extending the forearm and rotating the forearm and wrist. The range of motion of the elbow is limited by the olecranon of the ulna. The elbow extends only 180 degrees.

Many ligaments surround the elbow’s joint capsule and helps the joint maintain its stability. The radial and ulnar ligaments connect and keep the position of the radius and ulna bones. The annular ligament extends from the ulna around the head of the radius to hold the bones of the forearm together. These ligaments control movement and stretching of the elbow.

Three bones form the elbow joint:
Humerous (upper arm) and the paired radius and ulna (forearm.)