Final answer:
Plane joints are usually considered multiaxial joints because of their flat articulating surfaces that theoretically allow movement in multiple planes. However, the actual movements are often constrained by ligaments or surrounding bones, thus movement can be quite limited in reality.
Step-by-step explanation:
Based on their number of axes of rotation, plane joints are usually multiaxial joints. Plane or gliding joints consist of articulating bone surfaces that are flat or slightly curved, allowing bones to slide against each other.
Although theoretically, these joints can allow multiple movements, including rotation, in practice, the motion is typically limited and tightly constrained by surrounding ligaments. Due to these constraints, depending on the specific joint in the body, plane joints may exhibit limited movement or several movements.
Examples of plane joints include the intercarpal joints of the wrist and the intertarsal joints of the foot. These joints are functionally classified as multiaxial because they can potentially move in multiple planes due to their flat articulating surfaces.
However, not every plane joint in the body demonstrates all these potential movements, and they are often more limited in their range compared to other multiaxial joints such as the ball-and-socket joints of the hips and shoulders, which allow for much larger ranges of motion.