Anatomical terms of motion

The movement of body structures is accomplished by the contraction of muscles. Muscles may move parts of the skeleton relatively to each other, or may move parts of internal organs relatively to each other. All such movements are classified by the directions in which the affected structures are moved. In human anatomy, all descriptions of position and movement are based on the assumption that the body is its complete medial and abduction stage in anatomical position.

The prefix hyper- is sometimes added to emphasize movement beyond the normal position, such as in hyperflexion or hyperextension. Such movements can put significant stress on the joints involved. See: Medical terminology

All motions are considered to be a mixture of or a single contribution by the following types of movement.

Most terms of a motion have clear opposites, and as such, are treated below in pairs.

Other special motions
Some additional motions without clear opposites are as follows:


 * Rotation - A motion that occurs when a part turns on its axis. The head rotates on the neck, as in shaking the head 'no'.
 * Circumduction - The circular (or, more precisely, conical) movement of a body part, such as a ball-and-socket joint or the eye. It consists of a combination of flexion, extension, adduction, and abduction. "Windmilling" the arms or rotating the hand from the wrist are examples of circumductive movement.


 * Opposition - A motion involving a grasping of the thumb and fingers.
 * Reposition - To release an object by spreading the fingers and thumb.

External references

 * White, T. D. & P. A. Folkens. Human Osteology. 1991. Academic Press, Inc. San Diego.