Overview
This lecture covers all major synovial joint body movement terms, grouped by movement categories, with definitions, examples, and key distinguishing features.
Categories of Joint Movements
- Four main categories: gliding, angular, rotational, and special movements.
Gliding Movements
- Gliding is linear movement of bone surfaces without rotation or angular change.
- Common in plane joints like the carpals (wrist) and tarsals (foot).
- Other gliding joints: sacroiliac, acromioclavicular, femoral-patellar, tibiofibular, vertebral costal, sternocostal, and intervertebral joints.
Angular Movements
- Flexion decreases the angle between two body parts; extension increases it.
- Examples: elbow (forearm), shoulder (arm), wrist (hand), finger, hip (thigh), knee (leg), toe, vertebral column (spine), and neck.
- Hyperextension: movement beyond the normal anatomical position (definition may vary).
- Abduction moves a part away from the midline; adduction moves it back toward the midline.
- Circumduction combines flexion, abduction, extension, and adduction in a circular or conical motion (e.g., shoulder, hip, wrist, fingers).
Rotational Movements
- Rotation is bone movement around a central axis.
- Occurs at the head, vertebral column, and ball-and-socket joints (shoulder, hip).
- Medial (internal) rotation moves anterior surface toward midline; lateral (external) rotation moves it away.
Special Movements
- Supination: lateral rotation of forearm, palms face anterior/up.
- Pronation: medial rotation of forearm, palms face posterior/down.
- Dorsiflexion: top of foot moves toward shin; plantar flexion: sole moves toward calf.
- Inversion: sole turns medially; eversion: sole turns laterally.
- Elevation: body part moves superiorly; depression: moves inferiorly (common in mandible and scapula).
- Protraction: scapula/mandible moves anteriorly/laterally; retraction: moves posteriorly/medially.
- Protrusion: anterior movement (lips, tongue, jaw); retrusion: posterior movement.
- Excursion: mandible moves side-to-side (lateral or medial).
- Opposition: thumb moves to touch tip of another finger; reposition: thumb returns to anatomical position.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Gliding — Linear movement of bone surfaces without significant rotation or angle change.
- Flexion — Decreasing angle between two body parts.
- Extension — Increasing angle between two body parts.
- Abduction — Moving a part away from the body’s midline.
- Adduction — Moving a part toward the body’s midline.
- Circumduction — Circular movement combining flexion, abduction, extension, and adduction.
- Rotation — Bone movement around its axis (medial/lateral).
- Supination — Outward rotation of forearm, palms up.
- Pronation — Inward rotation of forearm, palms down.
- Dorsiflexion — Top of foot moves toward shin.
- Plantar Flexion — Sole of foot moves toward calf.
- Inversion — Sole turns inward (medially).
- Eversion — Sole turns outward (laterally).
- Elevation — Moving a body part upward.
- Depression — Moving a body part downward.
- Protraction — Forward movement of a body part.
- Retraction — Backward movement of a body part.
- Protrusion — Anterior movement of the jaw, lips, or tongue.
- Retrusion — Posterior movement of the jaw, lips, or tongue.
- Excursion — Lateral or medial movement of the mandible.
- Opposition — Thumb touches another finger’s tip.
- Reposition — Thumb returns to original position.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review all joint movement terms and be able to identify their examples on the body.
- Visit the website for a comprehensive quiz on these terms.
- Watch related anatomy videos in the recommended playlist if additional review is needed.