All mysteries
Mystery #3Tier 2body / joints

Why does your elbow bend only one way?

Your shoulder can swing your arm in full circles, but your elbow only folds in one direction; try to bend it backwards and it stops dead. Why is one joint so free and the other so one-way?

Anatomical diagrams of the elbow joint, where the upper-arm and forearm bones meet.
Photo: OpenStax College · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Your guess

What's your hunch about why the elbow only bends one way when the shoulder moves every way?

There's no single magic word to type, have a go in your own words, then reveal the answer to see how close you got.

Make a guess to unlock the hints and the answer.