Sports scientists and medical practitioners use formal terms to describe directionality, joint movement, and muscle movement. These universal terms let us use fewer words when describing movement, teaching, coaching, providing treatment, and conducting research.
Anatomical position: Anatomists and physiologists view the human body in this standard starting point Body in an upright standing position Face and feet pointing forward Arms at side and forearms fully supinated (palms facing forward)
Anatomical Planes relate to positions in space and are at right angles to one another: Transverse (axial) plane: Divides the body into superior and inferior segments Sagittal (medial) plane: Divides the body into symmetrical halves Frontal (coronal) plane: Divides the body into anterior and posterior segments
Anatomical Axes are used to describe the direction of movement at joints: Longitudinal (polar) axis: In a north-south relationship to the anatomical position Horizontal (bilateral) axis: In an east-west relationship to the anatomical position Antero-posterior axis: In a front-to-back relationship to the anatomical position
Axis of rotation is always perpendicular to the plane of movement Longitudinal Axis More involved movements usually occur as a combination of motions from more than one axis and plane 90 o Transverse Plane
Flexion: decreasing the angle between two bones Extension: increasing the angle between two bones In the anatomical position: all flexion/extension occurs in the sagittal plane,
Abduction: moving away from the midline Adduction: moving towards the midline In the anatomical position, all abduction/adduction occurs in the frontal plane
Internal rotation: rotating inward towards the midline External rotation: rotating outward away from the midline In the anatomical position, all rotation occurs in the transverse plane
Circumduction: conical movement of a body part, best performed at ball and socket joints like the shoulder and hip. Circumduction is a combination of flexion, extension, abduction and adduction. It can also be performed by the fingers, hands, feet, and head.
Supination: lateral rotation of the hand and forearm Pronation: medial rotation of the hand and forearm Applications: spiral football curveball (delayed pronation) chinups Soft running shoes and shin splints
Dorsiflexion: pointing the foot upward Plantar flexion: pointing the foot downward
DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN INVERSION/EVERSION AND PRONATION/SUPINATION OF THE FOOT In short, inversion/eversion are frontal plane motions of the ankle, whereas pronation/supination are triplanar motions of the foot/ankle complex. Inversion/eversion are components of supination/pronation. Inversion (i.e. - inversion ankle sprains) is often used interchangeably with supination, as is eversion with pronation, but they aren't exactly the same. The thing is, these motions rarely, if ever, occur in isolation so the terms pronation/supination may be more applicable when discussing movement(s) at the foot/ankle. Supination is made up of inversion of the hindfoot, adduction of the forefoot, and plantarflexion of the talocrural (ankle) regions. Pronation is made up of eversion of the hindfoot, abduction of the forefoot, and dorsiflexion of the talocrural (ankle) regions. Remember, pronation and supination are necessary motions for proper foot/ankle function, as well as closed kinetic chain mechanics. But they must occur at the appropriate times and at the appropriate degrees to ensure sound movement.
The opposable thumb is a distinguishing feature of primates, and allows humans to grasp objects.
Shoulder shrugs occur in the frontal plane, about the anteroposterior axis.
Anterior: front surface of the body Posterior: back surface of the body Superficial: structures just under the skin (subcutaneous) Deep: structures that are under the superficial structures Superior: refers to structures being closer to the top of the body (excluding limbs) Inferior: refers to structures being closer to the lower part of the body (excluding limbs) Prone: lying face down Supine: lying on your back Medial: towards the midline or mid-sagittal Lateral: away from the midline or mid-sagittal Proximal: towards the upper segment of a limb Distal: towards the lower segment of a limb
Axis of Rotation Plane of Motion Example Horizontal (Bilateral) Sagittal Flexion/Extension Longitudinal (Polar) Transverse Ballet pirouette, rotation of the limbs Antero-Posterior Frontal Abduction/Adduction
What is the axis of rotation? Longitudinal (Polar) What is the plane of motion? Transverse
Protraction: moving in a forward (anterior) position Retraction: moving in a backward (posterior) position
Stride jump Side bend Elbow extension Nodding head yes Twirling Shaking head no Antero-Posterior Antero-Posterior Horizontal (Bilateral) Horizontal (Bilateral) Longitudinal (Polar) Longitudinal (Polar) Frontal Frontal Sagittal Sagittal Transverse Transverse
Valuable Websites www.med.umich.edu/irc/hypermuscle http://www.proprofs.com/quizschool/story.php?title=anatomical-terminology-quiz http://www.wiley.com/college/apcentral/anatomydrill/