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Terminology of Human Motion

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Orientation of the Human Body
Description of Human Body Motion
Motions Occurring in the Body Plane

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Objectives¡G After studying this topic, the students will be able to

  1. identify planes of motions and its relative axes
  2. describe human motion using kinesiological terms

  1. Neumann, DA (2002)¡G Getting Started.  in Neumann DA (ed)¡G Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System - Foundations for Physical Rehabilitation. Philadelphia¡G Mosby.  pp.4-8
  2. Smith et al, 1996: Chap 1
  3. Luttgens, K. & Hamilton, N., 2002  Chap11

Orientation of the Human Body

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Reference planes of the body

  • to describe planes of human motion in the context of a person standing in the anatomic position

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    ¡@ Location Dividing the body into
    sagittal plane
    (median plane¡F¥Ú¤Á­±)    		 vertically from the front to the back¡F
    parallel to the sagittal suture of the skull    		 right/ left or
    medial/ lateral
    frontal plane
    (coronal plane¡FÃB¤Á­±)    		 vertically from the left to the right
    parallel to the coronal suture of the skull    		 front (anterior)
    back (posterior)
    transverse plane
    (horizontal plane¡F¾î¤Á­±)    		 horizontal to the body
    parallel to the horizon    		 upper (superior)
    lower (inferior)

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    Cardinal plane (Principal plane)

  • the reference plane of motion where the center of mass (COM or CM) passes through when an individual stands in the anatomic position
  • three cardinal planes in the human body
  • frontal plane
  • sagittal plane
  • transverse plane

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    Axes of rotation
  • the pivot point for an angular motion, usually located through the convex member of the joint

    ¡@ Direction Perpendicular to
    sagittal axis
    (anteroposterior axis)    		 horizontally from the front to the back frontal plane
    transverse axis
    (frontal axis or horizontal axis)    		 horizontally from side to side sagittal plane
    vertical axis
    		 perpendicular to the ground transverse plane

  • Although the three orthogonal axes are depicted as stationary, in reality, each axis of all joints in human body migrates throughout the range of motion because the articular surfaces of the joint are not reciprocally shaped as a perfect sphere.
  • longitudinal axis¡G axis that extends within and parallel to a long bone or body segment
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    Description of Human Motion

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    Description of body segments

  • upper extremity (arm) = upper arm + forearm + hand
  • lower extremity (leg) = thigh + low leg + foot
  • trunk = chest and upper back + abdomen and low back
  • head and neck

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    Description of motion direction

  • anterior vs. posterior
  • front vs. back
  • forward vs. backward
  • medial vs. lateral
  • left vs. right
  • toward vs. away
  • inward vs. outward
  • superior vs. inferior
  • upper vs. lower
  • cranial vs. caudal
  • top vs. bottom
  • proximal vs. distal

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    Description of motion

  • kicking¡G the leg moves forward in the sagittal plane about a frontal axis
  • turning the head¡G the head moves around a vertical axis in the horizontal plane
  • diagonal movement¡G the movement occurs in a plane which is not parallel to any cardinal planes, for example, foot supination is a combination of plantarflexion in the sagittal plane, adduction in the transverse plane, and inversion in the frontal plane

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    Motions Occurring in the Body Plane

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    Movements in the sagittal plane about a frontal axis

  • flexion¡G the angle of a joint becomes smaller
  • extension¡G the angle of a joint becomes larger
  • hyperextension¡G extension goes beyond the anatomic reference position
  • dorsiflexion/ plantarflexion¡G used for ankle or foot movements
  • forward/ backward bending¡G used for trunk movements
  • nutation/ counternutation¡G used for sacroiliac joint movements

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    Movements in the frontal plane about a sagittal axis

  • abduction¡G the distal segment moves away from the midline of the body
  • adduction¡G the distal segment moves towards the midline of the body
  • exception¡G finger or toe movements
  • lateral flexion¡G used for neck or trunk movements
  • radial deviation/ ulnar deviation¡G used for wrist or thumb movements
  • inversion/ eversion¡G used for foot movements

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    Movements in the transverse plane about a vertical axis

  • external rotation (lateral rotation)¡G the anterior surface of the distal segment moves outwards
  • internal rotation (medial rotation)¡G the anterior surface of the distal segment moves inwards
  • supination/ pronation¡G used for forearm or foot movements
  • abduction/ adduction¡G used for foot or toes movements
  • axial rotation¡G used for neck movements

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    Other kinds of movements

  • Non-axial movements in a plane joint, such as the facet joints of the spine
  • Movements in a combination of planes
  • circumduction¡G the distal segment follows the surface of a cone and the tip of the segment trace a circular path
  • finger opposition
  • thumb movements
  • flexion/ extension in the palmar plane
  • abduction/ adduction in a plane perpendicular to the palm

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    Established on 09/01/2002 and Last Updated 10/13/2005 © 2002-2005 Huei-Ming Chai, PhD PT          All Right Reserved