Body Movements, Joints, and Healthcare Terminology

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering anatomical movements, joint classifications, medical prefixes/suffixes, common abbreviations, and movement-related healthcare professions.

Hippocrates

Considered the father of medicine and physical therapy; documented methods of massaging muscles to relieve pain as early as 460 BC.

Biomechanics

The field of study focusing on the effects of movement on biological systems, studied in the late 15th and early 16th centuries by figures such as Leonardo da Vinci and Sir Isaac Newton.

George Goodheart

A chiropractor who tested muscle movements in the early 1960s, leading to the development of the field of kinesiology.

Kinesiology

The study of body movement, derived from kinesi(o)- (movement) and -ology (study of).

Abduction

Movement away from the midline of the body or away from the sagittal plane; derived from ab- (away), duct(o)- (bring), and -ion (action or condition).

Adduction

Movement toward the midline of the body or toward the sagittal plane; derived from ad- (toward), duct(o)- (bring), and -ion (action or condition).

Circumduction

Movement in a circular motion where one end of a limb typically remains still while the other end moves in a circle; derived from circum- (around), duct(o)- (to bring), and -ion (action or condition).

Rotation

Movement around an axis, usually occurring at a joint; derived from rotat(o)- (to revolve) and -ion (action or condition).

Flexion

The action of bending; derived from flex(o)- (to bend) and -ion (action or condition).

Extension

The action that brings a limb straight; derived from extens(o)- (to stretch out) and -ion (action or condition).

Hyperflexion

Excessively bending or flexing a joint; derived from hyper- (above or over), flex(o)- (bend), and -ion (action or condition).

Hyperextension

Abnormal or excessive extension, straightening, or stretching of a joint; derived from hyper- (above or over), extens(o)- (to stretch out), and -ion (action or condition).

Lateral flexion

Bending to one side or the other; derived from later(o)- (side), flex(o)- (to bend), and -ion (action or condition).

Dorsiflexion

Backward bending, typically referring to bending the hand or foot backward toward the body; derived from dors(o)- (back of body), flex(o)- (to bend), and -ion (action or condition).

Plantar flexion

Bending of the foot so that the toes point downward; derived from plant(o)- (sole of foot), -ar (pertaining to), flex(o)- (to bend), and -ion (action or condition).

Eversion

Turning outward, such as turning the bottom of the foot away from the midline of the body or away from the sagittal plane; derived from e- (outward), vers(o)- (to turn), and -ion (action or condition).

Inversion

Turning inward, such as turning the foot toward the midline of the body or toward the sagittal plane; derived from in- (inward), vers(o)- (to turn), and -ion (action or condition).

Supination

Turning the foot or the palm of the hand upward or toward the front of the body, matching the anatomical position of the hand and forearm.

Pronation

Turning the foot or the hand backward, typically meaning the palm is facing downward and opposite of anatomical position.

Protraction

Anterior movement of a body part; in the human body, only the shoulder and the jaw are able to undergo this motion.

Retraction

Posterior movement of a body part.

Depression

Downward movement used to lower a body part, such as lowering the shoulders after a shrug.

Elevation

Upward movement used to raise a body part, such as raising the shoulders during a shrug.

Excursion

Side-to-side movement used mainly when describing the jaw (mandible), consisting of lateral excursion (away from midline) and medial excursion (back to resting position).

Opposition

Movement of the thumb away from the palm of the hand to touch one of the other fingers, such as making an OK sign.

Reposition

The return of the thumb back to its anatomical position.

Articulation

Another term for a joint, defined as the location where two or more bones come together; derived from articul(o)- (joint).

Fibrous joints

A category of joints that lack a joint cavity, are joined by fibrous tissue, and are almost immovable.

Cartilaginous joints

A category of joints that lack a joint cavity, are joined by cartilage, and are almost immovable.

Synovial joints

Joints that permit movement in all types of directions, characterized by a capsule containing synovial fluid to facilitate movement; derived from synovi(o)- (joint).

Gliding or plane joints

Synovial joints formed by flat or slightly curved bones that glide past each other on one axis; examples include wrist bones, foot bones, and joints between vertebrae.

Pivot joints

Synovial joints consisting of a round or pointed bone fitting into a ring on another bone to permit rotational movement; found between the atlas and axis, as well as between the radius and ulna at the elbow.

Atlas and axis

The specialized names for the first and second cervical vertebrae in the neck, which together form a pivot joint that allows the head to rotate.

Hinge joints

Synovial joints that function like a door hinge, permitting only flexion and extension; examples include the knee, elbow, ankle, and distal ends of the fingers and toes.

Condyloid or ellipsoid joints

Synovial joints that allow movement in two directions at right angles (flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and circumduction); found in the knuckles (metacarpophalangeal joints), radiocarpal joint of the wrist, and metatarsophalangeal joints of the feet.

Saddle joints

Synovial joints where the articulating bones are shaped like a saddle, allowing flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and circumduction; located at the first metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb and the sternoclavicular joint.

Ball-and-socket joints

Synovial joints formed by a ball-shaped bone fitting into a cup-shaped socket, permitting movement in many directions including flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, circumduction, and rotation; found in the hip and shoulder.

DJD

A medical abbreviation for degenerative joint disease.

s/p

A medical abbreviation meaning status post (after).

THA / THR

Medical abbreviations for total hip arthroplasty / total hip replacement.

TKA / TKR

Medical abbreviations for total knee arthroplasty / total knee replacement.

TMJ

A medical abbreviation for the temporomandibular joint.

Physical therapy

A healthcare profession that uses exercise, movement techniques, and education to relieve pain, increase range of motion, improve joint function, and treat conditions such as arthritis and back pain.

Occupational therapy

A healthcare profession that uses exercises and rehabilitation to help patients regain independent functioning and work capacity within their environment, treating conditions like Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, and brain injuries.

Orthopedics

A branch of medicine focused on treating conditions of the musculoskeletal system; derived from orth(o)- (straight), ped- (foot), and -ic (pertaining to).

Chiropractics

A healthcare field focusing on the proper alignment of the spine to reduce pain, improve movement, and potentially alleviate conditions such as migraines.

Exercise physiology

A branch of science that helps patients recover from health conditions, including heart and pulmonary diseases, by developing and monitoring prescribed exercise programs; derived from physi(o)- (natural or physical) and -ology (study of).

Arthroscopic surgery

A specialized orthopedic surgical procedure involving the examination and treatment of a joint using an instrument; derived from arthr(o)- (joint) and -scopic (pertaining to examination with an instrument).

James Parkinson

The physician who first documented Parkinson's disease in 1817, describing neurological symptoms that affect movement while leaving intelligence intact.

Charcot

A scientist whose work helped differentiate Parkinson's disease from other neurological disorders by characterizing its distinct effects on movement, speech, and posture.