1.44_ANATOMICAL TERMINOLOGY: Body Movement
Fill in the Blank
1. Johnny has just performed a bicep curl (up) in weight training class. What motion did
his arm make from the elbow? _______________________________
2. Anita has just pointed her toe in dance class. What motion did she make? __________________
3. Brad has just stretched both arms upwards to try and wake himself up in healthcare class.
What motion did he make? _________________________________
4. Jessica has just turned her head around to chat with the student in the desk behind her.
What motion did she make? _______________________________
5. Luke has just dropped his arms to his sides after carrying a load of books for a teacher.
What motion did he make (when he dropped his arms?) _________________________
6. Jennifer swings her leg, straightened, out to the right hand side.. What motion did she
make? ______________________________
7. Rhianna has just turned her palms so that they are in anatomical position. What motion did
she make with her palms? ________________________________
8. Name the opposite of each of these movements:
a. Flexion: __________________
f. Pronation: __________________
b. Pronation: __________________
g. Lateral Rotation: __________________
c. Elevation: __________________
d. Abduction: __________________
e. Inversion: __________________
Human anatomy allows for lots of movement. You use certain anatomical terms to describe how the
parts of the body move. Think of a hinge — it opens and closes; it bends and straightens. Many parts
of the body can move in this fashion:
9. __________________: This movement is the bending of a part, or decreasing the angle between two
parts. You flex your elbow when you bring your forearm up toward your upper arm, and you flex your
spine when you bend your body forward.
10. __________________: The opposite of flexion is extension, the straightening of a part, or increasing
the angle between two parts. You extend your elbow when you move your forearm away from your
arm to straighten your elbow, and you extend your back when you move from being in a flexed
position back upright.
11. __________________: Moving away from the midline. Think of a body in the anatomical position
and imagine raising the upper extremities out to the sides — that’s abduction. The fingers and toes
are a little different because the hand and foot have their own midlines, so when you spread your
fingers and toes you’re abducting them (moving them away from the middle finger, or the third
digit).
12. __________________: Moving toward the midline. Bringing the abducted upper extremities back
down to the sides of the body is adduction. Drawing your fingers (or toes) close together is also
adduction.
13. __________________: Moving a body part forward, like jutting your chin or sticking out your
tongue.
14. __________________: Pulling backward, like retracting your chin back into its normal position.
One common body movement is turning, as in a circle. Here’s a look at some ways body parts can
move in a circular fashion:
15. __________________: Moving in a circular motion, like doing arm circles, is circumduction. It
involves combining flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction all into one movement.
16. __________________: This movement is turning a body part around its long axis, with
the anterior surface moving toward the midline, like when you turn your whole lower extremity so
that your foot points inward. (Anterior means closer to the front of the body.)
17. __________________: You laterally rotate when you move a body part around its long axis with the
anterior surface moving away from the midline, like turning your whole lower extremity so your
foot points out toward the side.
18. __________________: Pronation is medial rotation of the forearm so that the palm
faces posteriorly (toward the rear).
19. __________________: This movement is lateral rotation of the forearm so the palm in the previous
example faces anteriorly.
Sometimes you need to raise a body part up or lower it back down again, and of course clinical
anatomy uses specific terms for those movements. The foot even has a couple of movements all its
own.
20. __________________: You elevate when you move a part superiorly (closer to the top of the head),
like
shrugging your shoulders.
21. __________________: Moving a part inferiorly (closer to the feet), like moving those raised
shoulders back down again, is depression.
22. __________________: This foot-specific action is moving the foot so the sole (bottom of the foot)
faces inward.
23. __________________: This term means moving your foot so the sole faces outward.
24. __________________: Elevating the foot, or moving the foot until the toes point upward, is
dorsiflexion.
25. __________________: This term is a specific kind of depression where you tilt the foot until the toes
point down.
Label each movement
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__________________: Bending a joint decreasing the angle
__________________: Opposite of flexion – Straightening a joint increasing the angle
__________________: Past normal extension
__________________: Movement away from the middle part of the body
__________________: Movement of a body part towards the sagittal plane
__________________: Rotation of forearm and hand to palm down position
__________________: Rotation of forearm and hand to palm up position
__________________: Twisting the foot inward toward the ankle
__________________: Twisting the foot outward at the ankle
__________________: Upward movement
__________________: Downward movement
__________________: Bringing toes toward shin
__________________: Pointing the toe
__________________: When the thumb comes into contact with one of the other fingers
__________________: When the thumb is returned to anatomical position
__________________: movement of a part around a central axis
__________________: movement in an anterior/forward direction
__________________: movement in a posterior/backward direction
__________________ Combination of movements – action forms a circle
For each of the following, first demonstrate physically then explain using words / diagrams in the
space provided:
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Bring forearm toward the upper arm.
Bring forearm away from upper arm.
Bring the heel toward the buttocks from standing position.
Bring heel away from buttocks back toward standing position.
Spread fingers
Bring fingers together
Curl fingers toward palm
Straighten fingers away from palm
Bring palm toward forearm
Bring palm away from forearm
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Thrust jaw forward (creating an under bite)
Bring leg toward the midline of the body in frontal plane.
Bring hip away from the midline of the body in frontal plane.
Lie down on your stomach.
Lie down on your back.
With elbow flexed to 90o, Rotate forearm so that palms are facing the
ground.
With elbow flexed to 90o, rotate forearm so that palms are facing the
sky.
Bring toes toward the shin.
Point toes away from shin.
Rotate sole of the foot toward the midline of the body.
Rotate sole of the foot away from the midline of the body.
Shrug shoulders toward ears
Return shoulders to resting position from shrug position.
Arm circles
Lift arm in sagittal plane toward anterior of the body
Return arm to anatomical position from flexed position.
Lift arm away from the body in the sagittal plane.
Return arm to anatomical position from abducted position.
From anatomical position, rotate arm around longitudinal axis until
thumbs are closest to thighs
Return to anatomical position from medial rotation.
Bring chin toward the chest.
Bring chin away from the chest
Saying “no” motion.
Create “Overbite”
From anatomical position, become pigeon toed.
From anatomical position, become duck footed.
Bow
Stand up from bow
Lie down on your side
Standing with feet shoulder width apart, arms at sides and palms
facing forward.