The sites where two skeletal elements or bones come together are termed joints.
The two general categories of joints are those in which:
- the skeletal elements are separated by a cavity (i.e., synovial joints); and
- there is no cavity and the components are held together by connective tissue (i.e., solid joints).
Blood vessels that cross a joint and nerves that innervate muscles acting on a joint usually contribute articular branches to that joint.