PowerPoint Presentation

TYPES OF MOVEMENTS AT SYNOVIAL JOINTS.

DAWN V TOMY M.PHARM.,

DEPT. OF PHARMACOLOGY,

ST.JOSEPHS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY,

CHERTHALA, ALAPPUZHA.

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Movements at synovial joints are grouped into four main categories:

(1) gliding,

(2) angular movements,

(3) rotation and

(4) special movements.

GLIDING

Gliding is a simple movement in which relatively flat bone surfaces move back-and-forth and from side-to-side with respect to one another. The intercarpal and intertarsal joints are examples of articulations where gliding movements occur.

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ANGULAR MOVEMENTSFlexion, Extension, Lateral Flexion, and Hyperextension

Angular movements, there is an increase or a decrease in the angle between articulating bones. The major angular movements are flexion, extension, lateral flexion, hyperextension, abduction, adduction, and circumduction.

Flexion and extension are opposite movements.

Flexion (flex - to bend): decrease in the angle between articulating bones.

Extension (exten - to stretch out): an increase in the angle between articulating bones, to restore anatomical position after it has been flexed.

Movements occur along the sagittal plane.

Bending the head toward the chest at the atlanto-occipital joint between the atlas (the first vertebra) and the occipital bone of the skull, and at the cervical intervertebral joints between the cervical vertebrae.

Bending the trunk forward at the intervertebral joints.

Moving the humerus forward at the shoulder joint, as in swinging the arms forward while walking.

Moving the forearm toward the arm at the elbow joint between the humerus, ulna, and radius.

Moving the palm toward the forearm at the wrist or radiocarpal joint between the radius and carpals.

Bending the digits of the hand or feet at the interphalangeal joints between phalanges.

Moving the femur forward at the hip joint between the femur and hip bone, as in walking.

Moving the leg toward the thigh at the tibiofemoral joint between the tibia, femur, and patella, as occurs when bending the knee.

Example of joints involved are (a) Shoulder joint (b) Wrist joint (c) Hip joint (d) Metacarpophalangeal joints of the fingers (not the thumb).

Movement of the trunk sideways to the right or left at the waist along the frontal plane involves the intervertebral joints, is called lateral flexion.

Continuation of extension beyond the anatomical position is called hyperextension (hyper-beyond or excessive).

Examples of hyperextension include:

Bending the head backward at the atlanto-occipital and cervical intervertebral joints

Bending the trunk backward at the intervertebral joints

Moving the humerus backward at the shoulder joint, as in swinging the arms backward while walking.

Moving the palm backward at the wrist joint.

Moving the femur backward at the hip joint, as in walking, Hyperextension of hinge joints, such as the elbow, interphalangeal, and knee joints, is usually prevented by the arrangement of ligaments and the anatomical alignment of the bones.

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Abduction, Adduction, and Circumduction

Abduction (ab - away) is the movement of a bone away from the midline.

Adduction (ad - toward) is the movement of a bone toward the midline.

Movements occur along the frontal plane.

Examples of abduction include moving the humerus laterally at the shoulder joint, moving the palm laterally at the wrist joint, and moving the femur laterally at the hip joint. The movement that returns each of these body parts to the anatomical position is adduction.

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Circumduction

Circumduction (circ - circle) is movement of the distal end of a body part in a circle. Circumduction is a continuous sequence of flexion, abduction, extension, and adduction. Examples of circumduction are moving the humerus in a circle at the shoulder joint, moving the hand in a circle at the wrist joint, moving the thumb in a circle at the carpometacarpal joint, moving the fingers in a circle at the metacarpophalangeal joints (between the metacarpals and phalanges), and moving the femur in a circle at the hip joint. Both the shoulder and hip joints permit circumduction.

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Rotation

Rotation (rota - revolve), a bone revolves around its own longitudinal axis. Example is turning the head from side to side at the atlanto-axial joint (between the atlas and axis), as when you shake your head no.

Turning the trunk from side to side at the intervertebral joints while keeping the hips and lower limbs in the anatomical position.

In the limbs, rotation is defined relative to the midline, If the anterior surface of a bone of the limb is turned toward the midline, the movement is called medial (internal) rotation.

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Special Movements

Special movements occur only at certain joints and includes elevation, depression, protraction, retraction, inversion, eversion, dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, supination, pronation, and opposition.

Elevation (to lift up) is an upward movement of a part of the body, example closing the mouth at the temporomandibular joint to elevate the mandible or shrugging the shoulders at the acromioclavicular joint to elevate the scapula. Its opposing movement is depression. Other bones that may be elevated (or depressed) include the hyoid, clavicle, and ribs.

Depression (to press down) is a downward movement of a part of the body, such as opening the mouth to depress the mandible or returning shrugged shoulders to the anatomical position to depress the scapula.

Protraction (to draw forth) is a movement of a part of the body anteriorly in the transverse plane. Its opposing movement is retraction. You can protract your mandible at the temporomandibular joint by thrusting it outward or protract your clavicles at the acromioclavicular and sternoclavicular joints by crossing your arms.

Retraction (to draw back) is a movement of a protracted part of the body back to the anatomical position.

Inversion (to turn inward) is movement of the sole medially at the intertarsal joints (between the tarsals). Its opposing movement is eversion.

Eversion (to turn outward) is a movement of the sole laterally at the intertarsal joints.

Dorsiflexion refers to bending of the foot at the ankle or talocrural joint (between the tibia, fibula, and talus) in the direction of the dorsum (superior surface). Dorsiflexion occurs when you stand on your heels. Its opposing movement is plantar flexion.

Plantar flexion involves bending of the foot at the ankle joint in the direction of the plantar or inferior surface, as when you elevate your body by standing on your toes.

Supination is a movement of the forearm at the proximal and distal radioulnar joints in which the palm is turned anteriorly as in anatomical position.

Pronation is a movement of the forearm at the proximal and distal radioulnar joints in which the distal end of the radius crosses over the distal end of the ulna and the palm is turned posteriorly.

Opposition is the movement of the thumb at the carpometacarpal joint in which the thumb moves across the palm to touch the tips of the fingers on the same hand. This is the distinctive digital movement that gives humans and other primates the ability to grasp and manipulate objects very precisely.

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