Comprehensive Kinesiology and Bone Anatomy: Movements, Joints, and Planes

1. Kinesiology

The study of human movement, including how muscles, bones, joints, and the nervous system work together to produce movement. Example: studying how the quadriceps and hamstrings work during a squat.

2. Biomechanics

The study of forces and their effects on living organisms and movement. It uses anatomy and physics to analyze movement. Example: analyzing the forces and joint angles involved when an athlete lands from a jump.

3. Skeletal system functions

The skeletal system provides support, protection, movement, mineral storage, blood cell production, and fat storage. Example: the skull protects the brain, while bones act as levers that muscles pull on to create movement.

4. Bone composition

Bone contains organic and inorganic components. Collagen is the main organic component and provides flexibility and tensile strength. Minerals such as calcium phosphate provide hardness and compressive strength.

5. Cortical vs cancellous bone

Cortical bone is dense, compact bone that forms the strong outer layer. Cancellous bone is spongy/trabecular bone found inside bones, especially near the ends of long bones. Cortical provides strength; cancellous helps distribute forces while keeping bone lighter.

6. Osteoblast vs osteoclast

Osteoblasts build new bone, while osteoclasts break down/resorb old bone. Both are important for bone remodeling. Memory trick: BLAST builds; CLAST clears.

7. Long bone anatomy

A long bone has a diaphysis (shaft), epiphyses (ends), medullary cavity (inner cavity), periosteum (outer covering), articular cartilage (joint surface), and epiphyseal plate in growing bones.

8. Diaphysis

The shaft or long middle portion of a long bone. It is primarily composed of cortical bone and surrounds the medullary cavity. Example: the long middle portion of the femur.

9. Epiphysis

The end portion of a long bone. It contains a large amount of cancellous bone and participates in forming joints. Example: the ends of the femur near the hip and knee.

10. Medullary cavity

The hollow space inside the shaft of a long bone. It contains bone marrow. In adults, much of it contains yellow marrow, which stores fat.

11. Epiphyseal plate

The growth plate near the end of a growing long bone. It allows bones to increase in length. When growth is complete, it becomes the epiphyseal line.

12. Longitudinal bone growth

Growth in the length of a bone. It occurs at the epiphyseal plate as cartilage grows and is gradually replaced with bone. Example: the femur becoming longer during childhood and adolescence.

13. Factors affecting bone size and shape

Bone size and shape are influenced by genetics, hormones, nutrition, age, physical activity, and mechanical stress. Example: repeated weight-bearing activity can influence bone remodeling.

14. Articular cartilage

Smooth cartilage covering the ends of bones at synovial joints. It reduces friction, allows smooth movement, and helps distribute forces. Example: cartilage in the knee helps the femur and tibia move smoothly during a squat.

15. Scapula

The scapula is the shoulder blade. It provides muscle attachment sites and helps the shoulder move. Its movements include elevation, depression, protraction, retraction, upward rotation, and downward rotation.

16. Ligament vs tendon

A ligament connects bone to bone and helps stabilize a joint. A tendon connects muscle to bone and transfers muscle force to the skeleton. Example: ACL = ligament; Achilles = tendon.

17. Types of joints

The three structural classifications are fibrous, cartilaginous, and synovial. Fibrous joints are connected by fibrous tissue, cartilaginous joints by cartilage, and synovial joints have a joint cavity and allow substantial movement.

18. Synovial joints

Synovial joints are freely movable joints that contain a joint cavity, synovial fluid, articular cartilage, and a joint capsule. Examples include the knee, shoulder, hip, and elbow.

19. Synovial joint types

The six major types are hinge, ball-and-socket, pivot, plane, saddle, and condyloid. Examples: elbow = hinge, shoulder = ball-and-socket, neck = pivot, thumb = saddle.

20. Diarthrodial joint

A diarthrodial joint is a freely movable joint, generally referring to a synovial joint. Examples include the knee, shoulder, hip, and elbow.

21. Flexion

Flexion generally decreases the angle between two bones. Example: bending the elbow during a biceps curl or bending the knee during a squat.

22. Extension

Extension generally increases the angle between two bones. Example: straightening the elbow after a biceps curl or standing up from a squat.

23. Abduction

Abduction is movement away from the body's midline. Example: raising your arm out to the side or moving your leg away from the other leg. Memory trick: abduction = away.

24. Adduction

Adduction is movement toward the body's midline. Example: bringing your arm back down to your side after abducting it.

25. Circumduction

A circular movement that combines flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction. Example: making a large circle with your arm at the shoulder.

26. Sagittal plane

The sagittal plane divides the body into left and right portions. Its main movements are flexion and extension. Example: a biceps curl or squat occurs primarily in the sagittal plane.

27. Frontal plane

The frontal plane divides the body into front and back portions. Its main movements are abduction, adduction, and lateral flexion. Example: a jumping jack or raising the arm sideways.

28. Transverse plane

The transverse plane divides the body into upper and lower portions. Its main movements include rotation, horizontal abduction, and horizontal adduction. Example: rotating the torso while swinging a baseball bat.

29. Plane and axis relationship

Movement occurs in a plane around an axis that is perpendicular to that plane. Sagittal plane = frontal axis; frontal plane = anteroposterior/sagittal axis; transverse plane = vertical/longitudinal axis.

30. Frontal axis

The frontal or mediolateral axis runs from side to side. Flexion and extension occur around this axis. Example: elbow flexion occurs in the sagittal plane around a frontal axis.

31. Anteroposterior axis

The anteroposterior (AP), or sagittal, axis runs from front to back. Abduction and adduction occur around this axis. Example: shoulder abduction occurs in the frontal plane around an AP axis.

32. Vertical axis

The vertical or longitudinal axis runs from top to bottom. Rotation occurs around this axis. Example: rotating your torso left and right.

33. Osteokinematics

Osteokinematics describes the visible movement of bones around a joint, such as flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and rotation. Example: raising your arm overhead is shoulder flexion.

34. Arthrokinematics

Arthrokinematics describes movement between joint surfaces. The main accessory motions are roll, glide, and spin. Example: joint surfaces roll and glide as the knee moves.

35. Accessory motions

Small joint-surface movements that occur along with normal voluntary movement. The three main types are roll, glide, and spin. They help joints move smoothly and maintain proper contact between surfaces.

36. Knee and shoulder movements

The knee primarily performs flexion and extension with some rotation when flexed. The shoulder performs flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, internal/external rotation, horizontal abduction/adduction, and circumduction.

37. Ankle movements

Dorsiflexion moves the top of the foot toward the shin; plantarflexion points the foot downward; inversion turns the sole inward; eversion turns the sole outward. Example: standing on your tiptoes = plantarflexion.

38. Shoulder girdle movements

Elevation = shoulders move up; depression = shoulders move down; protraction = scapulae move forward; retraction = scapulae move toward the spine; upward rotation helps raise the arm overhead; downward rotation returns the scapula toward its resting position.

39. Wrist movements

Wrist flexion bends the wrist forward; extension bends it backward; radial deviation moves the hand toward the thumb; ulnar deviation moves it toward the pinky. Memory trick: radial = thumb, ulnar = pinky.

40. Cardinal plane movement summary

Sagittal plane = flexion/extension and forward-backward movement. Frontal plane = abduction/adduction and side-to-side movement. Transverse plane = rotation and twisting. Remember: sagittal = flex/extend, frontal = abduct/adduct, transverse = rotate.