ABSTRACT
ARTICULAR CARTILAGE Hyaline cartilage, the pearly gristle which covers the bone ends in every diarthrodeal joint, is supremely adapted to transmit load and movement from one skeletal segment to another. It increases the area of the articular surfaces and helps to improve their adaptability and stability; it changes its shape under load and distributes compressive forces widely to the subarticular bone; and, covered by a film of synovial fluid, it is more slippery than any man-made material, offering very little frictional resistance to movement and surface gliding.
