What is the difference between syndesmosis and symphysis?

Answer 1

A symphysis and a syndesmoses are both types of non-synovial joints in the body.

A Syndesmoses is a dense fibrous tissue joint, which is completely immobile (like the joints in the skull before they become sutures, the inferior tibiofibular joint, or the tooth filling in a tooth socket.)

A symphyses is a joint where the opposing surfaces of bone are covered in hyaline cartilage but instead of having synovial fluid between then there is a plate of fibrocartilage. (this is like the pubic symphyses, intervertebral discs, joint between sternum an dmanubrium)

You can compare these two non-synovial joints with a third, which is a synchondrosis, made completely of hyaline cartilage, like the cartilage that connects the 1st rib with the sternum.

Answer 2

Synchondrosis is a joint that is connected with hyaline cartilage, which makes the joint stiffer than a regular joint. The lack of movement in such a joint is known as synarthrotic. The majority of these are found in children and disappear with age, such as at the epiphyseal plate/line. Symphysis refers to bones like the pubic bone or intervertebral disks that allow some movement, also known as amphiarthrotic. Symphasis joints contain some springy fibrocartilage along with hyaline cartilage, which permit movement.