Types of movement

In medical science, the types of movement performed by limbs and at joints are described in anatomical terms. These terms are determined according to the direction in which the movement is taking place in relation to the direction to the body part. Moreover, the types of movement are also classified by the anatomical planes in which they take place. The following article takes a look at these terms.

Anatomical Planes

Anatomical planes are hypothetical planes that divide the body into front and back, left and right, upper body and lower body. These planes help describe the location of body parts and the movement of limbs. The human body has 3 main anatomical planes:

  1. The sagittal or lateral plane divides the body lengthwise into the left and the right.
  2. The coronal or frontal plane is perpendicular to the ground and divides the body into front and back or anterior and posterior (ventral and dorsal).
  3. The transverse or axial plane is parallel to the ground and divides the upper body (cranial) from the lower body (caudal). 

Types of Movement: Definition

The types of movement of the different body parts can be defined as the motion performed by the different limbs in a direction described in relation to the anatomical position of the body parts. 

Types of Movement: Classification

The classification of types of movement is described under several heads.

  • Adduction Abduction
    • Abduction is the lateral movement that moves the limbs away from the middle of the body.
    • It brings the limbs back towards or across the middle line.
    • Spreading the fingers and toes apart is abduction and bringing them back together is adduction.
    • These movements occur at condyloid, saddle, and ball-and-socket joints.
  • Circumduction

This is a complex type of movement and involves the communication of abduction, flexion, extension, adduction in a sequence.

         Rotation 

    • Like its name, rotation movement occurs when the body twists.
    • Shaking your head to say no is a rotation movement.
    • This movement occurs at pivot and ball-and-socket joints.
  • Pronation Supination
    • Occurs in the forearm.
    • The supinated position of the forearm is when the arm is extended downward, and the palm is facing forward.
    • The ulnar and the radius are parallel in the supination.
    • When the palm is facing backwards, the radius and the ulna form an X. This is called the pronated position.
    • The scooping motion happens because of supination movement.
  • Eversion Inversion
  • When the bottom of the foot is angling towards the body’s middle line, the movement is called inversion.
  • When the bottom of the foot moves in the opposite direction, the movement is called eversion.
  • The foot has a greater capacity of inversion than eversion.
  • These two movements help stabilise the feet when walking on uneven ground or when quick sideways movements are required in sports.
  • Plantar and  Dorsiflexion
    • Movements of the joints of the ankles
    • The joint at the ankle is a hinge joint.
    • Pointing the toes downwards is a plantar type of flexion.
    • The ankle joint can perform only very limited movements.
  • Retraction Protraction
  • Occurs when the mandible (lower jaw) and the scapula (shoulder blade) perform anterior and posterior movement
  • The forward motion of the shoulder, like in the instance of throwing something, is protraction of the scapula.
  • When the shoulder moves backward the scapula is pulled posteriorly toward the medial line or the spine. This is retraction of the scapula.
  • Protraction of the mandible happens when the chin is jutted out. And retraction is the opposite movement.
  • Elevation Depression
    • These, too, are motions performed by the scapula and the mandible.
    • In the scapula, they occur when the shoulder is moved upwards and then downwards like when shrugging.
    • Lifting up of the scapula happens in the lifting up and depression when the shoulder comes back to its original position.
    • Depression of the mandible happens when the lower jaw moves down.
    • Lifting up of the mandible is when the lower jaw moves upwards.
  • Extension Flexion
    • Describe anterior (forward) and posterior (backward) motions of the limbs.
    • Flexion of the spine means bending the body or the neck forward. It is an anterior motion.
    • Extension of the spine means straightening the body when bent forward at the waist or bending backwards. It is a posterior motion.
    • Flexion in the limbs means decreasing the angle between the bones at the joints (bending the joints).
    • Extension of the joints means increasing the angle or straightening the joints.
    • For the upper limbs, all anterior (forward) movements are flexion and posterior (backward) movements are extension.
    • These movements happen at the ball hinge, condyloid, saddle, and ball and socket joints.
    • Hyperextension is injury due to abnormal extension of joints. Hyperflexion is snorkel flexion.
  • Excursion 
    • The sideways movement performed by the mandible is called excursion.
    • Lateral excursion is when the mandible moves towards the side and medial excursion when it moves back to its original position.
  • Reposition Opposition
    • Opposition is a complex movement involving abduction and flexion.
    • Opposition is the motion performed by the thumb moving toward the ends of the fingers of the same hand. Reposition is the returning motion of the thumb.
  • Inferior Superior rotation
    • These movements are the upward or downward motion performed by the glenoid cavity.
    • The glenoid cavity is a shallow cavity in the scapula where the scapula joins with the head of the humerus, the bone of the upper arm, to form the shoulder joint.
    • Superior rotation is the upward movement of the glenoid cavity while one end of the scapular spine (a horizontal plate of the bone in the scapula) moves downward.
    • Superior rotation is very important because it facilitates the abduction of the arm. Without this movement, the arm would not be able to move above shoulder height.
    • Interior rotation occurs when the glenoid cavity moves downward during the adduction of the arm.

Conclusion 

The wide variety of movements is made possible by the various joints and muscles of the body. All these elements combined provide a great range of movement and mobility. Learning about these functions is interesting because it makes us realise that our bodies are marvellously engineered. Moreover, knowing more about our physiology helps us understand how we can keep ourselves healthy. 

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