1

INTRODUCTION TO MOVEMENT
DR ABDUL RASHAD
2 DPT, MPHILL(OPT)MPPTA
SENIOR LECTURER
UNITED COLLEGE OF PHYSICSAL THERAPY(UCPT)
3 CONTENTS
Types of movements and posture
Pattern of movement
Timing in movement
Rhythm of movement
The nervous control of movement
 4 HUMAN MOVEMENT SYSTEM

 Skeletal  Muscular
System System
 (Passive  (Active
Compone
nt) Components)

 
Bones Muscles

Joints
5
TYPES OF MOVEMENT
 Active movement
 Passive Movement
6
Patterns of Movement
 Site and direction of movement is known as
patterns of movement
 Functional movement patterns require
movement in several joint
 e.g.: mass movement
7 Timing in Movement
 Sequence of muscle contraction to produce
movement
 Each movement should be timed for
purposeful movement
 There is waste of effort when movement is
too fast or too slow
 Timing of functional movement usually
proceed from distal to proximal because
distal areas received stimulation
e.g. : hands and feet
Effective timing is maximum efficiency of
muscle contraction
Timing in movement
 If this sequence is not followed than the
peak of effort reached will be wasted.
 Faulty timing accounts for insufficiency of
the movement for the purpose for which it
was designed.
 In faulty timing movements some
components of the muscle contraction are
omitted and other added up or the sequence
is too fast or two slow, e.g. as in learning to
swim or play golf.
Rhythm of the movement
 The word rhythm means regular beat or
recurrence of a sequence of events.
 Inspiratory muscles
 Heart muscle
• These muscles contracts rhythmically
throughout life.
• There is alternating period of contraction and
period of relaxation or inaction.
Rhythm of the movement
Skeletal muscles:
 These muscles can also work for long
periods of time without fatigue, provided
their contraction alternates regularly with
complete relaxation.
 this means consequent replenishment of
the blood supply which would be bringing
oxygen towards the area of work.
 This coming oxygen will help to repair the
effects of contraction.
 This will also remove the metabolic waste
products.
Rhythm of the movement
 The rhythm of the work and rest reduces the
fatigue to minimum e.g.1 a hiker walking
with an even stride rhythmically contracts
and relaxes the extensor muscles of the
legs. E.g.2 any newcomer to the industry is
trained in rhythmical sequence of
movements he has to perform at work.
 Each movement has its own natural rhythm
which can vary to some extent in individuals.
Rhythm of the movement
 The natural rhythm can also vary with the
age
 The rhythm of the children is relatively quick
in comparison with the adults
 In an older population this rhythm of
movement is slower
Loss of rhythmical movement
 When the movements are taken too slowly
or too quickly this will results in
 Faulty timing
 Loss of efficiency
 Increase in muscle work
 Diminution of range of movement
 THE NERVOUS CONTROL OF MOVEMENT
14
 The motor unit is the
functional unit of the
Neuromuscular system
which initiates and
achieves movement in
response to a demand
for activity.
 The unit’s muscle
fibers contract in
response to impulses
discharges from its cell
(A.H.C) (anterior horn
cell) when it is
stimulated
 Nervous control of the movement
Anterior horn cell:
• The anterior horn of the spinal cord is
the ventral (front) grey matter section
of the spinal cord. The anterior horn
contains motor neurons that affect the
axial muscles while the posterior horn
receives information regarding touch
and sensation. The anterior horn is
where the cell bodies of alpha motor
neurons are located.
 Movements
Voluntary Movement
This is the movement which is initiated in response to
a conscious effort to perform the movement.
Reflex movement
Reflex movement is initiated in response to a demand
made by the sensory stimulation
17