The shoulder joint, or glenohumeral joint, is a ball-and-socket joint that allows for a wide range of motion in the upper limb, including flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and rotation. It is formed by the articulation of the humeral head with the glenoid fossa of the scapula. The joint is surrounded by a lax capsule lined with synovial membrane and contains several bursae that reduce friction. Stability is provided by ligaments like the glenohumeral and coracohumeral ligaments. The rotator cuff muscles act together to produce shoulder movement. Blood supply comes from the circumflex humeral, circumflex sc

1. Radiological Anatomy
of Shoulder Joint
Chandan Prasad Rajbhar
Tutor
College of paramedical sciences
TMU, Moradabad

2. WHAT’S A SHOULDER JOINT??
• The glenohumeral, or
shoulder, joint is a
synovial joint that
attaches the upper limb
to the axial skeleton. It
is a ball-and-socket
joint, formed between
the glenoid fossa of
scapula (gleno-) and
the head of humerus (-
humeral).

3. • MOTIONS THE SHOULDER JOINT INCLUDE
• The shoulder joint allows for a wide range of motion at the upper limb
• Flexion
• Extension
• Abduction
• Adduction
• External/lateral rotation
• Internal/medial rotation
• And circumduction

4. STRUCTURES OF THE SHOULDER
JOINT
• Articulating Surfaces
• The shoulder joint is formed by
the articulation of the head of the
humerus with the glenoid
cavity (or fossa) of the scapula.
• The articulating surfaces are
covered with hyaline cartilage.

5. JOINT CAPSULE AND BURSAE
• The joint capsule is a fibrous sheath which encloses the structures of the joint.
• It extends from anatomical neck of the humerus to the glenoid fossa. The joint
capsule is lax, permitting greater mobility.
• The synovial membrane lines the inner surface of the joint capsule, and produces
synovial fluid to reduce friction between the articular surfaces.
• BURSAE
• A bursa is a synovial fluid filled sac, which acts as a cushion between tendons and
other joint structures.

6. CLINICALLY IMPORTANT BURSAE
• Subacromial
• Located deep to the deltoid and acromion, and superficial to the
supraspinatus tendon and joint capsule.
• It reduces friction beneath the deltoid, promoting free motion of the rotator
cuff tendons.
• Subacromial bursitis (i.e. inflammation of the bursa) can be a cause of
shoulder pain.
• Subscapular
• Located between the subscapularis tendon and the scapula.
• It reduces wear and tear on the tendon during movement at the shoulder
joint.

8. LIGAMENTS
• Glenohumeral ligaments (superior, middle and inferior)
• It connects the humerus to the glenoid fossa.
• Main source of stability for the shoulder, holding it in place and preventing it
from dislocating anteriorly.
• Coracohumeral ligament – attaches the base of the coracoid process to the
greater tubercle of the humerus.
• Transverse humeral ligament – spans the distance between the two
tubercles of the humerus.
• Coraco–clavicular ligament – composed of the trapezoid and conoid
ligaments and runs from the clavicle to the coracoid process of the scapula.

10. ROTATOR CUFF
• The rotator cuff muscles are four muscles that form a
musculotendinous unit around the shoulder joint.
• These are the
• Supraspinatus
• Infraspinatus
• Teres minor and
• Subscapularis muscles.
• The function of this entire muscular apparatus is to produce movement
at the shoulder joint.

11. Supraspinatus

12. Infraspinatus

13. Teres minor

14. Subscapularis muscles

15. BLOOD SUPPLY
• Blood supply to the shoulder joint comes
from the
• Anterior and Posterior circumflex humeral
• Circumflex scapular and
• Suprascapular arteries.

16. THANK YOU