Joint space

Joint space refers to the anatomical region found between the articulating bones of a synovial joint, which is filled with synovial fluid and surrounded by the synovial membrane and joint capsule. Joint space is a radiological and anatomical term used to measure the distance between bones in a joint, providing a proxy for the health of cartilage and other joint tissues; it is commonly assessed in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases such as osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis, where narrowing of joint space reflects cartilage loss and joint degeneration. It is not a protein, enzyme, receptor, or druggable molecular target, but a structural feature relevant mainly for clinical and radiological assessment.

Other names

articular spaceinterarticular spacejoint cavity