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- Flexion and Extension. Flexion and extension are movements that occur in the sagittal plane. They refer to increasing and decreasing the angle between two body parts
- Abduction and Adduction. Abduction and adduction are two terms that are used to describe movements towards or away from the midline of the body. Abduction is a movement away from the midline – just as abducting someone is to take them away.
- Medial and Lateral Rotation. Medial and lateral rotation describe movement of the limbs around their long axis: Medial rotation is a rotational movement towards the midline.
- Elevation and Depression. Elevation refers to movement in a superior direction (e.g. shoulder shrug), depression refers to movement in an inferior direction.
- Introduction
- Planes
- Axes
- Flexion and Extension
- Abduction and Adduction
- Elevation and Depression
- Internal and External Rotation
- Circumduction
- Pronation and Supination
- Dorsiflexion and Plantarflexion
The movements produced at joints by muscles are given specific anatomical names, often referred to as “anatomical terms of motion”. We usually make the assumption that the body is in normal resting anatomical position, and that joint movement occurs from this resting position. In this article, we explore the difference between an axis and a plane, ...
There are several different planesthat we use to describe the body and movements. There are three major planes.
There are also several different axeswe use to describe the movement of a joint. It is useful to think of an axis as a metal pole, and the joint rotating around this pole.
When talking about flexion and extension, we are usually referring to these movements as they occur about the coronal axis, and along the sagittal plane. Flexion refers to decreasing a joint angle, and extension to increasing the joint angleback to resting anatomical position.
Abduction and adduction refer to movements made about a sagittal axis and along the coronal plane. Abduction is moving a body part away from its resting anatomical position in the coronal plane; adduction is returning it to its normal resting position(includes ‘hyperadduction’).
Elevation refers to lifting, and depression refers to lowering. These movements only occur in several regions of the body and are a result of movement along the coronal plane.
Rotationrefers to movements made about the longitudinal axis and in the transverse plane. Internal rotation is rotating a joint towards the midline and external rotationis rotating a joint away from the midline.
Circumduction is a compound movement that occurs only at ball and socket joints, which can perform multiple movement types. As Figure 23, it is a combination of: 1. Flexion and extension 2. Abduction and adduction 3. Rotation Circumduction is described as a circular motion utilising each of these movements at different parts of the circular motion....
Pronation and supinationoccur at pivot joints. The most important example of this is the radiohumeral joint and the union of the radius and ulna through the interosseous membrane. To remember pronation, think of lying prone (on your belly). Thus, pronation of the radiohumeral joint refers to the palm of the hand facing the ground. To remember supin...
The foot is a little special and has four movements specific to it. The first two, dorsiflexion and plantarflexion, refer to the way the foot moves about the coronal axis and along the sagittal plane. Dorsiflexion brings the dorsum (back) of the foot back toward the tibia, so the toes are beginning to point towards the sky. This is a position of hi...
- Four Types of Body Planes. There are four major types of body planes, and an easy way to remember them is to remember the acronym “SOFT,” which stands for.
- Sagittal Planes (Midsagittal and Parasagittal) A sagittal plane runs vertically from top to bottom (and front to back), and it divides the body into a left and right portion.
- Oblique Planes. An oblique plane is a plane that can literally be any type of angle other than a horizontal or vertical angle. In fact, the word “oblique” means that something is not parallel or a right angle.
- Transverse Planes (Horizontal or Axial Planes) A transverse plane (also called a horizontal plane) is easy to remember because it is the only plane that runs horizontally, dividing the body or structure into a top (superior) and bottom (inferior) half.
Jul 11, 2023 · Flexion: bending a limb to decrease the angle at a joint (e.g., lifting a dumbbell during a bicep curl flexes the elbow)
Nov 23, 2022 · The anatomical position is the starting point for any description of the human body. The anatomical position is facing forwards, with mouth closed and facial expression neutral. 1, 3 Eyes focused on the distance. Arms should be straight and by the sides with palms facing forward. The penis is erect.
Inferior (or caudal): A position below or lower than another part of the body; near the coccyx or lowest part of the spinal column. For example, the pelvis is inferior to the abdomen. Ipsilateral: Positioned on the same side. For example, the left arm and left leg are ipsilateral to each other.
Anatomical terms of movement are used to describe ways in which the body moves due to the action of certain muscles. This movement will occur at a joint which is an articulation between at least 2 bones. The main movements in the sagittal plane are flexion and extension.
