Anatomical Movements

Question 1

refers to a movement that decreases the angle between two body parts. Flexion at the elbow is decreasing the angle between the ulna and the humerus. When the knee flexes, the ankle moves closer to the buttock, and the angle between the femur and tibia gets smaller.

Answer 1

Flexion

Question 2

refers to a movement that increases the angle between two body parts. Extension at the elbow is increasing the angle between the ulna and the humerus. Extension of the knee straightens the lower limb.

Answer 2

Extension

Question 3

is a movement away from the midline - just as abducting someone is to take them away. For example, abduction of the shoulder raises the arms out to the sides of the body.

Answer 3

Abduction

Question 4

is a movement towards the midline. Adduction of the hip squeezes the legs together

Answer 4

Adduction

Question 5

is a rotational movement towards the midline. It is sometimes referred to as internal rotation. To understand this, we have two scenarios to imagine. Firstly, with a straight leg, rotate it to point the toes inward. This is medial rotation of the hip. Secondly, imagine you are carrying a tea tray in front of you, with elbow at 90 degrees. Now rotate the arm, bringing your hand towards your opposite hip (elbow still at 90 degrees). This is internal rotation of the shoulder.

Answer 5

Medial Rotation

Question 6

is a rotating movement away from the midline. This is in the opposite direction to the movements described above.

Answer 6

Lateral Rotation

Question 7

refers to movement in a superior direction.

Answer 7

Elevation

Question 8

refers to movement in an Inferior direction.

Answer 8

Depression

Question 9

refers to flexion at the ankle, so that the foot points more superiorly. Dorsiflexion of the hand is a confusing term, and so is rarely used. The dorsum of the hand is the posterior surface, and so movement in that direction is extension. Therefore we can say that dorsiflexion of the wrist is the same as extension.

Answer 9

Dorsiflexion

Question 10

refers extension at the ankle, so that the foot points inferiorly. Similarly there is a term for the hand, which is palmarflexion.

Answer 10

Plantarflexion

Question 11

involves the movement of the sole towards the median plane so that the sole faces in a medial direction.

Answer 11

Inversion

Question 12

involves the movement of the sole away from the median plane-so that the sole faces in a lateral direction.

Answer 12

Eversion

Question 13

brings the thumb and little finger together.

Answer 13

Opposition

Question 14

is a movement that moves the thumb and the little finger away from each other, effectively reversing opposition.

Answer 14

Reposition

Question 15

can be defined as a conical movement of a limb extending from the joint at which the movement is controlled.

It is sometimes talked about as a circular motion, but is more accurately conical due to the ‘cone’ formed by the moving limb.

Answer 15

Circumduction

Question 16

describes the anterolateral movement of the scapula on the thoracic wall that allows the shoulder to move anteriorly. In practice, this is the movement of ‘reaching out’ to something.

Answer 16

Protraction

Question 17

refers to the posteromedial movement of the scapula on the thoracic wall, which causes the shoulder region to move posteriorly i.e. picking something up.

Answer 17

Retraction