"

3.5 Movement Terms

Try This!

The flashcards below contain terms that describe how joints and body parts move with one another. Most of these happen along planes and axes, and understanding them helps explain exercises, stretches, and even injuries. Click on each card to view the definition for each term.

Text Description
This activity contains a set of flashcards, which are described below.
Front of card:
  1. Inversion/Eversion
  2. Supination/Pronation
  3. Flexion/Extension
  4. Internal/External Rotation
  5. Circumduction
  6. Dorsiflexion/Plantarflexion
  7. Abduction/Adduction

Back of card:

  1. Inversion: Turning the sole of the foot inward (toward the midline)/Eversion: Turning the sole of the foot outward (away from the midline)/Plane: Frontal/Axis: Anteroposterior/Example: Rolling your ankle inward (inversion) and rolling your ankle outward (eversion).
  2. Supination: Rotating the forearm so the palm faces upward/Pronation: Rotating the forearm so the palm faces downward/Plane: Traverse/Axis: Longitudinal/Example: Holding a bowl of soup with your palm up (supination) and facing your palm down (pronation).
  3. Flexion: Bending a joint, decreasing the angle between two body parts/Extension: Straightening a joint, increasing the angle between two body parts/Plane: Sagittal/Axis: Horizontal/Example: Biceps curl.
  4. Internal Rotation: Rotating a body part toward the midline/Rotating a body part away from the midline/Plane: Traverse/Axis: Longitudinal/Example: Turning your hip or shoulder inward or outward.
  5. Circumduction: Making a circular movement at a joint, combining flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction/Plane: Multiple/Axis: Multiple/Example: Making big circles with you arm or leg or winding up your arm like a softball pitcher.
  6. Dorsiflexion: Flexing the ankle so the toes point upward/Plantarflexion: Pointing the toes downward/Plane: Sagittal/Axis: Horizontal/Example: Pulling your toes toward your shin (dorsiflexon) and then pressing your foot down like pushing a gas pedal (Plantarflexion).
  7. Abduction: Moving a body part away from the midline of the body (Tip: taking away or being “abducted”)/Adduction: Moving a body part toward the midline/Plane: Frontal/Axis: Antereoposterior/Example: Jumping jacks.

Specific Shoulder Movements

A person lifting their shoulders back.
Photo by MART PRODUCTION, Pexels License

Elevation/Depression

  • Elevation: Lifting the shoulder upward
  • Depression: Moving the shoulder downward
  • Plane: Frontal
  • Axis: None
  • Example: Shrugging your shoulders (elevation) and relaxing your shoulders (depression)

Protraction/Retraction

  • Protraction: Moving the shoulder forward (away from the spine)
  • Retraction: Pulling the shoulder backward (toward the spine)
  • Plane: Transverse
  • Axis: none
  • Example: Rounding your shoulders forward (protraction) and squeezing your shoulder blades together (retraction)

 

Summary of Terms

Joint Movements Possible
Knee Flexion, Extension
Shoulder Flexion, Extension, Abduction, Adduction, Circumduction, Internal/External Rotation, Elevation, Depression, Protraction, Retraction
Hip Flexion, Extension, Abduction, Adduction, Circumduction, Internal/External Rotation
Elbow Flexion, Extension
Wrist Flexion, Extension, Supination, Pronation
Ankle Dorsiflexion, Plantarflexion, Inversion, Eversion
Spine Flexion, Extension

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

The Foundations of Human Movement and Physical Fitness Copyright © 2025 by A.J. Stephen; Sarah Fraser; and Connor Dalton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book