The incudomalleolar joint (more correctly called incudomallear joint) or articulatio incudomallearis is a small

synovial joint A synovial joint, also known as diarthrosis, joins bones or cartilage with a fibrous joint capsule that is continuous with the periosteum of the joined bones, constitutes the outer boundary of a synovial cavity, and surrounds the bones' articulat ...

between the malleus (hammer) and the incus (anvil). The joint's function is to transfer vibrations between the

ossicles The ossicles (also called auditory ossicles) are three bones in either middle ear that are among the smallest bones in the human body. They serve to transmit sounds from the air to the fluid-filled labyrinth (cochlea). The absence of the auditory ...

in the

middle ear The middle ear is the portion of the ear medial to the eardrum, and distal to the oval window of the cochlea (of the inner ear). The mammalian middle ear contains three ossicles, which transfer the vibrations of the eardrum into waves in the ...

, which is perceived as sound. Contrary to other synovial joints the movement is very limited. All of the ossicles move more or less as a unit, at least at low frequencies. When the

eardrum In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear The outer ear, external ear, or auris externa is the extern ...

is moved inward due to sound vibrations, transferred through the

outer ear The outer ear, external ear, or auris externa is the external part of the ear, which consists of the auricle (also pinna) and the ear canal. It gathers sound energy and focuses it on the eardrum (tympanic membrane). Structure Auricle The ...

, it transmits to the handle or manubrium of the malleus which is connected to the ear drum. The head of the malleus (caput mallei) moves with it and transfers energy/movement to the corpus of the incus (corpus incudis), which is located directly behind. The sound vibrations are then transferred to the stapes (stirrup) through the

incudostapedial joint Incudostapedial joint is a small, synovial ball-and-socket joint between the '' incus'' (anvil) and the ''stapes'' (stirrup). The joint's function is to transfer vibrations between the two ossicles. The incudostapedial joint lies between the lon ...

References

* {{Authority control Joints of the head and neck Ear Joints Human head and neck

See also

References