extraarticular

Extraarticular is an adjective used in medicine to describe something located outside the articular surfaces or the joint capsule. It is commonly employed in orthopedics, radiology, rheumatology, and pathology to indicate that a structure, injury, or process does not involve the interior of a joint.

The term contrasts with intra-articular, which denotes involvement within a joint or its articular surface. Distinguishing extraarticular from intra-articular involvement affects diagnosis, imaging interpretation, and treatment planning. For example, an extra-articular fracture refers to a break that does not extend into the joint surface, whereas an intra-articular fracture extends into the joint.

Extraarticular can describe structures such as ligaments, tendons, nerves, bursae, or tumors located outside the joint capsule but near it. It can also describe symptoms or manifestations of systemic diseases that occur outside the joints, such as skin or lung findings in inflammatory disorders.

Etymology: from Latin extra, outside, and articulatio, joint. The term may be written as extraarticular or hyphenated as extra-articular.

In clinical practice, recognizing whether pathology is extraarticular guides management, including surgical approaches that aim to spare the joint surface and preserve articular congruity whenever possible.