Chapter 5: Human Movement Science

Question 1

Biomechanics

Answer 1

The study of how internal and external forces affect a living body (especially for the skeletal system)

Question 2

Superior

Answer 2

A position above a point of reference.

Question 3

Inferior

Answer 3

A position below a point of reference.

Question 4

Proximal

Answer 4

A position near the center of your body or a point of reference. Your knee joint is more proximal to your hip joint then your ankle joint is.

Question 5

Distal

Answer 5

A position that is farther away from the center of your body or point of reference. Your ankle is more distal to your hips then your knees are.

Question 6

Anterior (Ventral)

Answer 6

This refers to the front of your body facing forward. Your chest is anterior on your body.

Question 7

Posterior (Dorsal)

Answer 7

This refers to the back of your body. Your back and your hamstrings are posterior.

Question 8

Medial

Answer 8

This refers to things close to the midline of the body. Your adductors are closer to the midline of your body compared to your abductors.

Question 9

Lateral

Answer 9

Positioned on the outside of the body. Your ears are on the lateral side of your head.

Question 10

Contralateral

Answer 10

These are things located on the opposite side of your body. Your left foot is contralateral to your right hand.

Question 11

Ipsilateral

Answer 11

These are things located on the same side of your body. Your left foot is ipsilateral to your left hand.

Question 12

Anatomic position

Answer 12

The anatomic position is important as a point of reference for anatomic nomenclature. The anatomic position is when the body is erect, the arms at your side and your palms facing forward. This way we can reference what is posterior, anterior, medial or lateral by referencing this default position.

Question 13

Sagittal plane

Answer 13

The sagittal plane splits the body into a right half and they left half. Extension and flexion are movements in this plane.

Question 14

Flexion

Answer 14

This is a bending movement where a relative angle between two adjacent sections decreases. It’s easier to imagine two separate reference points. A good example is of knee flexion. In this example, the two reference points are your calves and your hamstrings. As knee flexion occurs, the distance between your calves and hand strings decrease as they get closer to one another. As the knee goes into extension they move further away from each other, or the relative angle increases with the knee extension and decreases with knee flexion.

Question 15

Extension

Answer 15

This is the opposite of flexion. The relative angle between adjacent sections increases as with my knee extension example above.

Question 16

Hyperextension

Answer 16

This is the extension beyond the normal limits of the body.

Question 17

Frontal plane

Answer 17

This is a vertical plane that has right angles compared to the sagittal plane breaking up the body between frontal and posterior planes.

Question 18

Abduction

Answer 18

The act that typically moves a limb away from the midline of the body in the frontal plane.

Question 19

Adduction

Answer 19

The act that typically moves a limb towards the midline of the body in the frontal plane.

Question 20

Transverse plane

Answer 20

The plane that divides the body into a lower and upper section.

Question 21

Internal rotation

Answer 21

When a limb rotates in the transverse plane going towards the midline of the body. If looked from a bird’s eye view, a limb moving counterclockwise going towards the midline of the body.

Question 22

External rotation

Answer 22

When a limb rotates in the transverse plane going away from the midline of the body. If looked at from a bird’s eye view, a limb moving clockwise away from the midline of the body.

Question 23

Horizontal adduction

Answer 23

Imagine the movement of a chest fly.

Question 24

Horizontal abduction

Answer 24

Imagine the movement of a rear deltoid fly.

Question 25

Scapular motion

Answer 25

The act of moving the shoulder blades away from the midline.

Question 26

Scapular retraction

Answer 26

The act of moving the shoulder blades in the direction of the midline.

Question 27

Scapular elevation

Answer 27

The act of elevating the shoulder blades towards the superior.

Question 28

Scapular depression

Answer 28

The active lowering the shoulder blades towards the inferior.

Question 29

Concentric

Answer 29

A concentric muscle action: happens when the contraction is accompanied by the shortening of the muscle tissue.

Question 30

Eccentric

Answer 30

An eccentric muscle action: is accompanied by the lengthening of the muscle tissue.

Question 31

Isometric

Answer 31

In isometric muscle action is when no change in the length of the muscle happens.

Question 32

Isokinetic

Answer 32

In isokinetic muscle, action is when the contraction speed of a muscle is constant.

Question 33

Force

Answer 33

Any movement that results in the speeding up or slowing down of an object.

Question 34

Length-tension relationships

Answer 34

This is the perfect length of a muscle that will result in the most force produced. The ability of a muscle to produce force at its current range.

Question 35

Torque

Answer 35

Something that tends to produce rotation or torsion. The movement of a system or force that typically leads to a rotation.

Question 36

Rotary Motion

Answer 36

This is rotational movements from the joints.

Question 37

Force couple

Answer 37

Groups of muscles that work with one another in order to produce a force on a joint.

Question 38

Sensorimotor integration

Answer 38

How the muscular and nervous system cooperates to gather and interpret information in order to execute the movement.

Question 39

Proprioception

Answer 39

This is the cumulative sensory input to the CNS (Central nervous system) from all of the various mechanoreceptors that can sense limb movement and body position. Proprioception training improves coordination, posture, and balance.

Question 40

Muscle synergies

Answer 40

Muscles that are controlled by the central nervous system in order to produce the same movements.

Question 41

Motor development

Answer 41

The maturation of muscle coordination.

Question 42

Motor learning

Answer 42

The process of improving one’s motor skills with practice. This results in lasting changes and one’s overall capability of responding.

Question 43

Motor control

Answer 43

The process where people use cognition in order to coordinate the muscles and limbs of the body.

Question 44

Motor behavior

Answer 44

Response to external and internal stimuli from the environment. The overall study of motor development, motor learning and motor control (a.k.a. movement).

Question 45

External feedback

Answer 45

This is information that one will get about their performance from external sources. Usually visual, verbal or written.

Question 46

Internal feedback

Answer 46

This is how you personally feel after you have practice or performed a certain skill.

Question 47

Feedback

Answer 47

This is a biological system where the response or the output affects the initial input. Your sensory system gathers input from your motor system in order to adapt and learn new motor skills.

Question 48

Frontal

Answer 48

1. Splits the body into posterior and interior sections
2. The axis of rotation: anterior and posterior
3. Joint motion: abduction and adduction. Ankle inversion and eversion and lateral flexion.
4. Exercise example: pull-ups, barbell shoulder press, Hip abduction and adduction with cable.

Question 49

Transverse

Answer 49

1. Splits the body into upper and lower sections.
2. The axis of rotation: longitudinal/vertical
3. Joint motion: pronation, supination, internal rotation, external rotation, horizontal abduction/adduction.
4. Exercise example: trunk rotation, internal rotation, wood chop, horizontal adduction, cable chest fly, horizontal abduction, rear delt fly (machine).

Question 50

Sagittal

Answer 50

1. Splits the body into right and left halves
2. The axis of rotation: coronal (medial-lateral axis).
3. Joint motion: Extension and flexion
4. Exercise examples: Hamstring curls, bicep curls (barbell), Quadricep extension, skull crushers

Question 51

Common force couples

Answer 51

Hips/Knee extension during walking, running, stair climbing = gluteus maximus, quadriceps, calf muscles.
Elbow flexion/bicep curls = shortening of the brachioradialis, brachialis and biceps brachii.

Question 52

The first type of lever

Answer 52

The fulcrum sits directly between the energy moving the weight and the weight itself. Some good examples are scissors, seesaws, crowbars or a hammer extracting a nail.

Question 53

The second type of lever

Answer 53

The fulcrum is at one end, the weight is in the middle and the force is being applied on the other end. Some common levers that use this second type are wheelbarrows, can openers and staplers.

Question 54

The third type of lever

Answer 54

The fulcrum is on one end, the weight is on the other end and the forces being applied in the middle. With this type of lever, more force needs to be applied, but in return, the weight gets moved a much larger distance. Some good examples are a fishing rod, a broom or a baseball bat.