PMA Certification Exam 2023 Guide with complete
solution
Physiology and structure of bones
calcified connective tissue made up of osteocytes in a matrix of ground substance and
collagen fibers
Long bones
Exs:
Bones longer than they are wide
Exs: humerus, femur, radius, ulna, fibula, tibia, clavicle, metacarpals, phalanges
Short bones
Exs:
Bones as wide as they are long (often cube-shaped)
Exs: carpal and tarsal bones
Flat bone
Exs:
Exs: ribs, scapulae, sternum, some bones of skull
Irregular bones
Exs:
Bones of mixed shapes
Exs: vertebra, pelvic bones, bones of skull/face
Sesamoid bones
Exs:
Bones imbedded in certain tendons that work to reduce friction or pressure on tendons,
thus protecting them from excessive wear
Ex: patella
Moveable joint type (structural classification & functional classification):
synovial/diarthroidal joints
Non-moveable joint type, exs:
synarthroses joints - joined by fibrous connective tissue or cartilage
exs: suture joints, gomphosis joints
Synovial joints
freely moveable joints containing a fluid-filled cavity between bones
Ball and socket joints
Movements:
Exs:
joint type where the ball-shaped surface of one rounded bone fits into the concave
depression of the other bone
Movement in all directions
shoulder (GH joint) and hip
Hinge joints
Movements:
Exs:
joint type where a convex cylinder in one bone meets a concave surface in another
bone
, Movement in one plane/axis (flexion/extension)
elbow (humeroulnar joint), knee (tibiofemoral articulation)
Pivot Joints
Movements:
Exs:
joint type where one bone fits into a ring structure on another
Rotational movement
Neck (atlantoaxial joint - atlas rotates about dense of axis) and forearm (radioulnar joint)
Sliding/gliding joints
joint type where both surfaces are essentially flat
Limited movement
acromioclavicular joint, intercarpal joints, vertebrocostal joints, sternocostal joint,
sacroiliac joint
Condylar joints
joint type where the oval-shaped process of one bone fits into the oval-shaped cavity of
another
Movement in two planes (flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, circumduction)
wrist (radiocarpal joint), atlas and occiput (antlanto-occipital joint), MP joints
Saddle joints
joint type where both surfaces are saddle-shaped
Movement in two planes
Thumb (carpometacarpal joint of first metacarpal and trapezium)
Osteokinematics; exs:
gross movements of bones at joints (flexion, abduction, rotation, etc)
Arthrokinematics; exs:
small motions between joint surfaces (compression, distraction, sliding/gliding, rolling, or
spinning of joint surfaces)
Component motion; exs:
accompanies active motion, but is not voluntary (ie., upward rotation of the scapula,
clavicular rotation with shoulder flexion, rotation of the fibula with ankle dorsiflexion, etc)
components of the axial skeleton
skull, sternum, ribcage, spinal column, os coxae
Spinal column
series of bones that are separated by discs and cartilage (24 vertebrae, sacrum,
coccyx)
Verteral bodies
cylindrical shaped bones in which the flattened superior and inferior surfaces are
separated by intervertebral discs
Cervical vertebrae
located between the head and thorax (C1-C7), C1 = atlas which acts as a spacer
between the skull and axis (C2), which has a vertical projection called the dens that
increases stability of the upper cervical spine
Thoracic vertebrae
located in the thorax (T1-T12), larger than cervical vertebrae, are oriented towards
flexion (primary curve), and articulate with the ribs
Lumbar vertebrae
solution
Physiology and structure of bones
calcified connective tissue made up of osteocytes in a matrix of ground substance and
collagen fibers
Long bones
Exs:
Bones longer than they are wide
Exs: humerus, femur, radius, ulna, fibula, tibia, clavicle, metacarpals, phalanges
Short bones
Exs:
Bones as wide as they are long (often cube-shaped)
Exs: carpal and tarsal bones
Flat bone
Exs:
Exs: ribs, scapulae, sternum, some bones of skull
Irregular bones
Exs:
Bones of mixed shapes
Exs: vertebra, pelvic bones, bones of skull/face
Sesamoid bones
Exs:
Bones imbedded in certain tendons that work to reduce friction or pressure on tendons,
thus protecting them from excessive wear
Ex: patella
Moveable joint type (structural classification & functional classification):
synovial/diarthroidal joints
Non-moveable joint type, exs:
synarthroses joints - joined by fibrous connective tissue or cartilage
exs: suture joints, gomphosis joints
Synovial joints
freely moveable joints containing a fluid-filled cavity between bones
Ball and socket joints
Movements:
Exs:
joint type where the ball-shaped surface of one rounded bone fits into the concave
depression of the other bone
Movement in all directions
shoulder (GH joint) and hip
Hinge joints
Movements:
Exs:
joint type where a convex cylinder in one bone meets a concave surface in another
bone
, Movement in one plane/axis (flexion/extension)
elbow (humeroulnar joint), knee (tibiofemoral articulation)
Pivot Joints
Movements:
Exs:
joint type where one bone fits into a ring structure on another
Rotational movement
Neck (atlantoaxial joint - atlas rotates about dense of axis) and forearm (radioulnar joint)
Sliding/gliding joints
joint type where both surfaces are essentially flat
Limited movement
acromioclavicular joint, intercarpal joints, vertebrocostal joints, sternocostal joint,
sacroiliac joint
Condylar joints
joint type where the oval-shaped process of one bone fits into the oval-shaped cavity of
another
Movement in two planes (flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, circumduction)
wrist (radiocarpal joint), atlas and occiput (antlanto-occipital joint), MP joints
Saddle joints
joint type where both surfaces are saddle-shaped
Movement in two planes
Thumb (carpometacarpal joint of first metacarpal and trapezium)
Osteokinematics; exs:
gross movements of bones at joints (flexion, abduction, rotation, etc)
Arthrokinematics; exs:
small motions between joint surfaces (compression, distraction, sliding/gliding, rolling, or
spinning of joint surfaces)
Component motion; exs:
accompanies active motion, but is not voluntary (ie., upward rotation of the scapula,
clavicular rotation with shoulder flexion, rotation of the fibula with ankle dorsiflexion, etc)
components of the axial skeleton
skull, sternum, ribcage, spinal column, os coxae
Spinal column
series of bones that are separated by discs and cartilage (24 vertebrae, sacrum,
coccyx)
Verteral bodies
cylindrical shaped bones in which the flattened superior and inferior surfaces are
separated by intervertebral discs
Cervical vertebrae
located between the head and thorax (C1-C7), C1 = atlas which acts as a spacer
between the skull and axis (C2), which has a vertical projection called the dens that
increases stability of the upper cervical spine
Thoracic vertebrae
located in the thorax (T1-T12), larger than cervical vertebrae, are oriented towards
flexion (primary curve), and articulate with the ribs
Lumbar vertebrae
