Anatomical Terms For Movements
An essential part of learning and studying kinesiology is being able to communicate about it. Similarly to what I discussed in my last article about the anatomical terms we use for location in the body, we also have anatomical terminology for movement. In this article, we’ll explore the language we use to clearly describe different types of movements in the body.
Basic movements
In the world of anatomy and kinesiology, we have terms for basic movements that occur at multiple joints. We also have specialized terms for very specific movements that occur only at individual unique joints. Let’s start our tour of anatomical terms for movement with the basic movements that take us out of and return us to anatomical position. You’re probably familiar with many of these already.
Flexion and extension
We use the terms flexion and extension to describe movement at several joints like the knee, hip, elbow, shoulder, and others. Most generally, the term flexion means a movement that reduces the angle of a joint. For example, if I flex my elbow joint, I bring my forearm closer to my upper arm. That action decreases the angle of the elbow joint. The term extension refers to the opposite. Extension describes a movement that increases the angle of a joint. If I extend my knee joint, my lower leg moves farther away from my thigh. That action increases the angle of the knee joint. Flexion and extension are movements that happen in the sagittal plane.
Other types of flexion
We also have some variations on the term flexion that describe specialized movements that only occur at specific joints. Lateral flexion is the anatomical term that we use to describe side bending. That movement happens in the frontal or coronal plane. It is used to describe side bending of our spine in the torso or the lateral bending of our head on our neck.
Dorsiflexion and plantarflexion describe movements of the foot that happen at the ankle joint. If you plantar flex your ankle, you take your toes farther away from the front of your foreleg. Colloquially, we refer to this as “pointing our toes.” If you dorsiflex your ankle, you bring your toes closer to the front of your foreleg.
The term dorsiflexion is also used along with the term palmarflexion to describe movements of the hand at the wrist. When we use the term dorsiflexion to describe wrist movement, we are referring to the movement at the wrist that brings the back of our hand closer to our forearm. Palmarflexion, as it’s name suggests, is the term for wrist movement that brings the palm side of our hand closer to our forearm.
We can also use the more general terms flexion and extension to describe the movement of the hand at the wrist in the sagittal plane. But, you will sometimes see these more specific terms used, so it’s helpful to understand what they refer to.
Adduction and abduction
Adduction and abduction describe movements that happen at many joints in the frontal or coronal plane. Adduction is a movement that brings a structure closer to the midline of our body. Abduction is the opposite. If we abduct a structure, we move it farther from the midline of our body.
If you lie on your back to make a snow angel in the winter, you are abducting your arms and legs when you take them away from you. You are adducting your arms and legs when you bring them back into your body. We are most familiar with adduction and abduction movements that happen at our shoulder and hip joints, but there are other joints in the body where these movements happen such as some of the small joints we use to move our fingers toward and away from each other.
Other types of adduction
Horizontal adduction is also sometimes referred to as horizontal flexion. It is a movement in the transverse or horizontal plane. It’s usually used to describe the action at the shoulder joint when our arm is already in a flexed position and we bring it closer to the midline horizontally.
Rotation
Rotation is the anatomical term for turning a structure around an axis in the transverse or horizontal plane. You are probably most familiar with the rotation that we do at the two ball and socket joints in our body, the hip and the shoulder joints. In addition to movement at our ball and socket joints, we can also use the anatomical term rotation to describe turning our head on our neck or twisting our spine.
We can use more specific terms to describe the direction of rotation. Medial rotation, also called internal rotation, is the anatomical term used to describe rotating our leg or our arm toward the midline of our body. Lateral rotation describes the opposite movement. Lateral rotation, also referred to as external rotation, describes a rotational movement away from the midline of our body.
Special types of rotation
In addition to the general anatomical term rotation, we have some specific terms for particular types of rotation. Circumduction is a special type of rotation that combines flexion/extension with abduction and adduction movements to move a limb in a circle at a ball and socket joint. If we move our arm in a circle through what we might think of as its full range of motion, that is circumduction.
Pronation and supination are anatomical terms specifically used to describe the rotation of the forearm at the radioulnar joints. When we rotate our forearm in the direction that brings our palm up, that is supination. When we rotate our forearm in the opposite direction which brings our palm down, that is pronation.
Anatomical terms for specialized movements
Throughout our body, we have examples of uniquely constructed joints that require specialized movements. Many of those movements have a name. While there are too many examples to include every one of these specialized movement terms here, I have included a few of the more common ones that you are more likely to encounter.
Elevation and depression
The anatomical terms for movement, elevation and depression, are used to describe movements of the scapula as well as the jaw. When we draw our scapulae or our mandible down, that is called depression. The opposite, when we lift a scapula or our jaw, is called elevation.
Inversion and eversion
Inversion and eversion are anatomical terms for movement that happens at the ankle joint, specifically the subtalar joint. Inversion and eversion are side-to-side movements that happen in the frontal plane. In eversion, we are bringing the top of our foot closer to the midline of the body. When we do inversion, we are bringing the top of the foot farther away from the body.
Radial and ulnar deviation
Deviation is a specialized movement that happens only at the wrist joint. This side-to-side movement at our wrist is a variation on abduction and adduction. Deviation happens when the carpal bones move relative to the radius (one of the two forearm bones). Sideways movement at the wrist toward the thumb side is called radial deviation. Sideways movement at the wrist toward the pinky side is called ulnar deviation.
Protraction and retraction
Like elevation and depression, protraction and retraction are anatomical terms used to describe the movement of the scapulae and the mandible. The term retraction describes the movement of bringing either a scapula or the jaw more posterior, closer to the back of our body. With respect to the scapulae, retraction would bring them closer to the spine. Protraction is the term for drawing either the scapulae or the mandible forward.
Conclusion
Our bodies are complex, with an array of unique movements that allow us to do everything from shrug our shoulders to drive a car. Describing and communicating this complexity of movement requires a shared language. Anatomical terms for movement help us clearly communicate what and how we’re observing movement in the body.