Biology of the Synovial Joint

This collection of reviews has arisen due to the belief of the editors that joints need to be studied as a whole organ.

Too often workers concentrate only on one tissue without considering the effects that a pathological change or injury in one part may have upon the whole joint.

The synovial joint is a complex unit composed of many separate parts, such as cartilage, bone, ligament and synovium, all of which play a role in the functionality of the whole.

These tissues must exist and work together in close, and often strenuous conditions.

Therefore a certain level of interaction is to be expected.