Download Anatomical Terms of Motion

Anatomical terms of motion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The movement of body structures is accomplished by the contraction of muscles. Muscles may move parts of
the skeleton relatively to each other, or may move parts of internal organs relatively to each other. All such
movements are classified by the directions in which the affected structures are moved. In human anatomy, all
descriptions of position and movement are based on the assumption that the body is in the anatomical position.
The prefix hyper- is sometimes added to emphasize movement beyond the normal position, such as in
hyperflexion or hyperextension. Such movements can put significant stress on the joints involved.
Most terms of a motion have clear opposites, and as such, are treated below in pairs.

General motion
Flexion – Bending movement that decreases the
angle between two parts. Bending the elbow, or
clenching a hand into a fist, are examples of
flexion. When sitting down, the knees are flexed.
Adjusting
Flexion of the hip or shoulder moves the limb
angle
forward (towards the anterior side of the body).
between two
Good examples of hip flexors are the rectus
parts
femoris, sartorius, iliacus, and psoas. Some knee
flexors are the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and
semimembranosus. A couple elbow flexors are the
brachialis, biceps brachii, and brachioradialis.
Abduction – A motion that pulls a structure or part
away from the midline of the body (or, in the case
of fingers and toes, spreading the digits apart, away
Adjusting
from the centerline of the hand or foot). Abduction
relation to
of the wrist is called radial deviation. Raising the
mid-line of
arms laterally, to the sides, is an example of
body
abduction. A good example for the arm is the
deltoid. Some leg abductors are the gluteus medius
and the gluteus minimus.
Rotating
body parts
Internal rotation (or medial rotation) of the
shoulder or hip would point the toes or the flexed
forearm inwards (towards the midline). The
pectoralis major and subscapularis both medially
Extension – The opposite of flexion; a
straightening movement that increases the
angle between body parts. In a conventional
handshake, the fingers are fully extended.
When standing up, the knees are extended.
Extension of the hip or shoulder moves the
limb backward (towards the posterior side of
the body). Elbow extensors include the triceps
brachii and anconeus. The main muscles that
extends the hip is the gluteus maximus. The
muscles that extend the knee are the
quadriceps. They are the rectus femoris,
vastus lateralis, vastus medalis, and vastus
intermedius.
Adduction – A motion that pulls a structure
or part toward the midline of the body, or
towards the midline of a limb. Dropping the
arms to the sides, or bringing the knees
together, are examples of adduction. In the
case of the fingers or toes, adduction is
closing the digits together. Adduction of the
wrist is called ulnar deviation. The inner thigh
houses some adductors, including the
adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor
magnus, and pectineus. The latissimus dorsi is
a good example for the arm.
External rotation (or lateral rotation) is the
opposite of Internal Rotation. It would turn
the toes or the flexed forearm outwards (away
from the midline). The sartorius laterally
rotate the humerus. The adductor longus and
adductor brevis both medially rotate the thigh.
Adjusting
elevation
rotates the femur. The infraspinatus and teres
minor both laterally rotate the humerus.
Depression – Movement in an inferior
Elevation – Movement in a superior direction. The direction, the opposite of elevation. Opposite
upper muscle fibers of the trapezius aid in elevating to the upper fibers, the lower half of the
the apex of the shoulder.
trapezius aids in depressing the apex of the
shoulder.
Special motions of the hands and feet
The palm (adj palmar) of the hand corresponds to
the sole (adj plantar) of the foot. The adjective
volar, used mainly in orthopaedics, is synonymous
with palmar and plantar.
Pronation – A rotation of the forearm that moves
the palm from an anterior-facing position to a
rotation of posterior-facing position, or palm facing down. This
the forearm is not medial rotation as this must be performed
when the arm is half flexed. (See also Pronator
quadratus and Pronator teres muscle.)
bending of Dorsiflexion – Extension of the entire foot
the entire
superiorly, as if taking one's foot off an automobile
foot
pedal.
movement of
Eversion – the movement of the sole of the foot
the sole of
away from the median plane.
the foot
compound
Pronation - a combination of abduction, eversion,
movement of
and plantar flexion.
the foot
surfaces of
the hands
and feet
The dorsum (back) of the hand corresponds
to the dorsum (top) of the foot.
Supination – The opposite of pronation, the
rotation of the forearm so that the palm
faces anteriorly, or palm facing up. The
hand is supine (facing anteriorly) in the
anatomical position. (See also Supinator
muscle.)
Plantarflexion – Flexion of the entire foot
inferiorly, as if pressing an automobile
pedal. Occurs at ankle.
Inversion – the movement of the sole
towards the median plane (same as when an
ankle is twisted).
Supination - a combination of adduction,
inversion, and dorsiflexion.
Other special motions
anterior/posterior movement –
general
anterior/posterior movement –
shoulders
motion within body (such as in
blood vessels or the digestive
system)
Retrusion – The opposite of
protrusion, moving a part
posteriorly.
Retraction – Posterior
Protraction – Anterior movement of the arms
movement of the arms at the
at the shoulders.
shoulders.
anterograde motion is in the normal direction retrograde motion means
of flow. (For example, passage of food from reversed flow. (For example,
the mouth to the stomach.)
gastric reflux.)
Protrusion – The anterior movement of an
object. This term is often applied to the jaw.