The variety of movements provided by the different types of synovial joints allows for a large range of body motions and gives you tremendous mobility. These movements allow you to flex or extend your body or limbs, medially rotate and adduct your arms and flex your elbows to hold a heavy object against your chest, raise your arms above your head, rotate or shake your head, and bend to touch the toes (with or without bending your knees).
Each of the different structural types of synovial joints also allow for specific motions. The atlantoaxial pivot joint provides side-to-side rotation of the head, while the proximal radioulnar articulation allows for rotation of the radius during pronation and supination of the forearm. Hinge joints, such as at the knee and elbow, allow only for flexion and extension. Similarly, the hinge joint of the ankle only allows for dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the foot.
Condyloid and saddle joints are biaxial. These allow for flexion and extension, and abduction and adduction. The sequential combination of flexion, adduction, extension, and abduction produces circumduction. Multiaxial plane joints provide for only small motions, but these can add together over several adjacent joints to produce body movement, such as inversion and eversion of the foot. Similarly, plane joints allow for flexion, extension, and lateral flexion movements of the vertebral column. The multiaxial ball and socket joints allow for flexion-extension, abduction-adduction, and circumduction. In addition, these also allow for medial (internal) and lateral (external) rotation. Ball-and-socket joints have the greatest range of motion of all synovial joints.
abduction
movement in the coronal plane that moves a limb laterally away from the body; spreading of the fingers
adduction
movement in the coronal plane that moves a limb medially toward or across the midline of the body; bringing fingers together
circumduction
circular motion of the arm, thigh, hand, thumb, or finger that is produced by the sequential combination of flexion, abduction, extension, and adduction
depression
downward (inferior) motion of the scapula or mandible
dorsiflexion
movement at the ankle that brings the top of the foot toward the anterior leg
elevation
upward (superior) motion of the scapula or mandible
eversion
foot movement involving the intertarsal joints of the foot in which the bottom of the foot is turned laterally, away from the midline
extension
movement in the sagittal plane that increases the angle of a joint (straightens the joint); motion involving posterior bending of the vertebral column or returning to the upright position from a flexed position
flexion
movement in the sagittal plane that decreases the angle of a joint (bends the joint); motion involving anterior bending of the vertebral column
hyperextension
excessive extension of joint, beyond the normal range of movement
hyperflexion
excessive flexion of joint, beyond the normal range of movement
inferior rotation
movement of the scapula during upper limb adduction in which the glenoid cavity of the scapula moves in a downward direction as the medial end of the scapular spine moves in an upward direction
inversion
foot movement involving the intertarsal joints of the foot in which the bottom of the foot is turned toward the midline
lateral excursion
side-to-side movement of the mandible away from the midline, toward either the right or left side
lateral flexion
bending of the neck or body toward the right or left side
lateral (external) rotation
movement of the arm at the shoulder joint or the thigh at the hip joint that moves the anterior surface of the limb away from the midline of the body
medial excursion
side-to-side movement that returns the mandible to the midline
medial (internal) rotation
movement of the arm at the shoulder joint or the thigh at the hip joint that brings the anterior surface of the limb toward the midline of the body
opposition
thumb movement that brings the tip of the thumb in contact with the tip of a finger
plantar flexion
foot movement at the ankle in which the heel is lifted off of the ground
pronated position
forearm position in which the palm faces backward
pronation
forearm motion that moves the palm of the hand from the palm forward to the palm backward position
protraction
anterior motion of the scapula or mandible
reposition
movement of the thumb from opposition back to the anatomical position (next to index finger)
retraction
posterior motion of the scapula or mandible
rotation
movement of a bone around a central axis (atlantoaxial joint) or around its long axis (proximal radioulnar joint; shoulder or hip joint); twisting of the vertebral column resulting from the summation of small motions between adjacent vertebrae
superior rotation
movement of the scapula during upper limb abduction in which the glenoid cavity of the scapula moves in an upward direction as the medial end of the scapular spine moves in a downward direction
supinated position
forearm position in which the palm faces anteriorly (anatomical position)
supination
forearm motion that moves the palm of the hand from the palm backward to the palm forward position
Watch this video to learn about anatomical motions. What motions involve increasing or decreasing the angle of the foot at the ankle?
Dorsiflexion of the foot at the ankle decreases the angle of the ankle joint, while plantar flexion increases the angle of the ankle joint.
1. The joints between the articular processes of adjacent vertebrae can contribute to which movement?
A) lateral flexion
B) circumduction
C) dorsiflexion
D) abduction
A
2. Which motion moves the bottom of the foot away from the midline of the body?
A) elevation
B) dorsiflexion
C) eversion
D) plantar flexion
C
3. Movement of a body region in a circular movement at a condyloid joint is what type of motion?
A) rotation
B) elevation
C) abduction
D) circumduction
D
4. Supination is the motion that moves the ________.
A) hand from the palm backward position to the palm forward position
B) foot so that the bottom of the foot faces the midline of the body
C) hand from the palm forward position to the palm backward position
D) scapula in an upward direction
A
5. Movement at the shoulder joint that moves the upper limb laterally away from the body is called ________.
A) elevation
B) eversion
C) abduction
D) lateral rotation
C
1. Briefly define the types of joint movements available at a ball-and-socket joint.
Ball-and-socket joints are multiaxial joints that allow for flexion and extension, abduction and adduction, circumduction, and medial and lateral rotation.
2. Discuss the joints involved and movements required for you to cross your arms together in front of your chest.
To cross your arms, you need to use both your shoulder and elbow joints. At the shoulder, the arm would need to flex and medially rotate. At the elbow, the forearm would need to be flexed.