Sports Science HL B.1.1.2 Planes and Movements

Longitudinal Axis

Skewers you from top to bottom

Sagittal Axis

Skewers you from front to back

Frontal Axis

Skewers you from left to right

Sagittal Plane

A plane made up of the sagittal and longitudinal axes, but not frontal. A plane that would chop you to make a left and right.

Frontal Plane

A plane that is made up of the frontal and longitudinal axes, but not sagittal. A plane that would chop you to make a front and back.

Transverse Plane

A plane made up of the frontal and sagittal axes, but not longitudinal. A plane that would chop you to make a top and bottom.

Uniaxial Joint

A joint that moves about just one axis, ex. elbow

Biaxial Joint

A joint that allows movement in two planes, ex. wrist.

Triaxial Joint

A joint that can move in all three planes, ex. shoulder

Flexion

Closing a joint angle on the frontal axis, ex. the elbow joint.

Extension

Opening a joint angle on the frontal axis, ex. the elbow joint.

Abduction

Opening a joint angle on the sagittal axis, ex. the hip joint.

Adduction

Closing a joint angle on the sagittal axis, ex. the hip joint.

Medial Rotation

Longitudinal axis, toward the midline. Ex. twisting the hip joint to point toes inward.

Lateral Rotation

Longitudinal axis, away from the midline. Ex. twisting the hip joint to point toes outward.

Elevation / Depression

An upward / downward movement, ex. shrugging shoulders

Protraction / Retraction

Anterior (forward) / Posterior (backward) movement, ex. rounding shoulders forward / pulling them back.

Horizontal Extension / Flexion

Medial / lateral rotation of a joint that was already flexed (pec flys)

Dorsiflexion / plantar flexion

Flexion / extension of the ankle

Eversion / Inversion

Movement of the foot so that soles point out or toward each other

Pronation / supination

Rotation of radioulnar joint (palms backward or down, palms forward or up)

Opposition / reposition

Touching the thumb to fingertips / returning to resting

Circumduction

The circular movement of a joint

Supination of the foot

A combination of plantar flexion, inversion, and adduction

Pronation of the foot

A combination of dorsiflexion, eversion, abduction

Range of motion

How much a joint can actually move throughout a movement, depends on shape of articulating bones, position / length of the ligaments, muscles and tendons surrounding the joints, and the amount of soft tissue at the joint.

Hyper mobility

Due to a large ROM, can result in dislocations