KINESIOLOGY OF MOVEMENT

The term kinesiology literally means the study of motion. Given that motion of our body occurs
when bones move at joints, and that muscles are the primary creator of the forces that move the bones,
kinesiology is the study of the musculoskeletal system. Because the muscles are controlled and directed
by the nervous system, it might be more accurate to expand kinesiology to be the study of the
neuromusculoskeletal system.

MAJOR BODY PARTS

Motions of the body involve the movement of body parts. To be able to describe the motion of
body parts, each part must be accurately named. Figure 1-1 illustrates the major divisions and body
parts of the human body. The axial body and the appendicular body are the two major divisions. The
appendicular body can be divided into the upper and the lower extremities.
 FIGURE 1-1 The three major divisions of the body are the axial body and the two divisions of the
appendicular body. The appendicular body is composed of the upper extremities and lower extremities.
The body parts within these major divisions are shown. A, Anterior view. B, Posterior view. C, Lateral vie
The names of most body parts are identical to the lay English names. However, a few cases exist
where kinesiology terms are very specific and need to be observed. For example, the term arm is used
to refer to the region of the upper extremity that is located between the shoulder and elbow joints. The
term forearm refers to the body part that is located between the elbow and wrist joints; the forearm is a
separate body part and is not considered to be part of the arm. Similarly, the term  leg describes the
region of the lower extremity that is located between the knee and ankle joints, whereas the
term thigh is used to describe an entirely separate body part that is located between the hip and knee
joints; the thigh is not part of the leg. The precise use of these terms is essential so that movements of
the leg and thigh are not confused with one another, and movements of the arm and forearm are not
confused with one another. Pelvis is another term that should be noted. The pelvis is a separate body
part from the trunk and is located between the trunk and thighs.

Preparation Consideration

Maintaining Good Posture

Ergonomic and movement strategies can improve posture and help prevent injuries.
Posture is the position in which we hold our bodies while standing, sitting, or lying down.
Healthy posture is the correct alignment of body parts supported by the right amount of muscle tension
against gravity. Our everyday movements and activities can affect this alignment and put stress on joints
and muscles, sometimes resulting in pain and potentially permanent damage if left unchecked over
time. Utilizing proper ergonomic and movement strategies can help prevent these problems.

Why is posture important?

We do not consciously maintain our posture; instead, certain muscles normally do it for us.
Several muscle groups, including the hamstrings and large back muscles, are critically important in
maintaining our posture. These postural muscles, along with others, when functioning properly, prevent
the forces of gravity from pushing us over forward. Postural muscles also help maintain our balance
while we move.
A healthy posture helps us stand, walk, sit, and lie in positions that place the least strain on
supporting muscles and ligaments during movement and weight-bearing activities. Correct posture also:
 Helps us keep bones and joints in correct alignment so that our muscles are used correctly,
decreasing the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in degenerative arthritis and
joint pain.
 Reduces the stress on the ligaments holding the spinal joints together, minimizing the likelihood
of injury.
 Allows muscles to work more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy and, therefore,
preventing muscle fatigue.
 Helps prevent muscle strain, overuse disorders, and even back and muscular pain.

What can affect my posture?

To maintain healthy posture, you need to have adequate and balanced muscle flexibility and
strength, normal joint motion in the spine and other body regions, as well as efficient postural muscles
that are balanced on both sides of the spine. In addition, you must recognize your postural and
movement habits at home and in the workplace and work to improve them, if necessary.
Poor posture and poor movement patterns can lead to excessive strain on our postural muscles
and may even cause them to relax when held in certain positions for long periods of time. You can
typically see this in people who bend forward at the waist for a prolonged time in the workplace. Their
postural muscles are more prone to injury and back pain.

Several contributing factors can put a strain on posture. The most common are stress, obesity,
pregnancy, weak postural muscles, abnormally tight muscles, and high-heeled shoes. In addition,
decreased flexibility, a poor work environment, incorrect working posture, and unhealthy sitting and
standing habits can also contribute to poor body positioning, leading to pain or overuse injuries in some
cases.

Can I improve my posture?

Awareness of your posture, along with an understanding of healthy movement strategies, will
help you consciously correct yourself. Your doctor of chiropractic can further assist you by
recommending exercises to strengthen your core postural muscles. He or she can also assist you with
choosing better postures during your work or recreational activities, reducing your risk of injury.

Ergonomic Considerations

How we hold and move our bodies every day, even while doing something as simple as sitting at
a desk or standing in place, can have an impact on our posture. Below are some general ergonomic tips
to help reduce the chance of pain and injuries:

While sitting at a desk:

 Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest, if they don’t reach the floor.
 Don’t cross your legs. Your ankles should be directly in front of your knees.
  Keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat.
 Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips.
 Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support.
 Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground.
 Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time. Take breaks and move your body.

When standing:

 Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet.

 Keep your knees slightly bent.
 Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart.
 Let your arms hang naturally down the sides of the body.
 Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled down and backward.
 Tuck your stomach in.
 Keep your head level. Your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. Do not push your
head forward, backward, or to the side.
 Shift your weight from your toes to your heels, or one foot to the other, if you must stand for a
long time.

When lying down in bed:

 Find the mattress that is right for you. While a firm mattress is generally recommended, some
people find that softer mattresses reduce their back pain. Your individual comfort should guide
your choice.
 Choose the right pillow, too. Special pillows are available to help with postural problems
resulting from poor sleeping positions.
 Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
 Sleep on your side or back, which is often helpful for back pain. If you sleep on your side, place a
pillow between your legs. If you sleep on your back, keep a pillow under your knees.

What is a Neutral Spine?

Neutral spine means good posture as it relates to your back and neck. neutral spine is the
position in which your back and neck are placed under the least amount of stress and strain, allowing
them to function properly without damage and, therefore, without pain.
These pictures show you what an ideal neutral spine looks like:
 Note the natural curves throughout the back with a neutral spine. These curves are ideal and are
the positions in which your spine can do its job of supporting the body with the least amount of damage
and pain. Many people over the age of 30 will have some degree of degenerative changes (commonly
called degenerative disc disease) and may not be able to get their spines in this exact position. But even
getting very close to the ideal is very good for your body.

Neutral spine is an integral part of relieving back and neck pain

There are four steps you can take to position your spine to relieve back and neck pain:
1. Learn to find your neutral spine
2. Learn how to brace your spine with your body’s core muscles
3. Learn to move while maintaining neutral spine
4. Strengthening core muscles to maintain neutral spine at all times

By following these crucial steps, your hips and shoulder joints will move independently of your
spine, allowing you to perform any and all movements and tasks without aggravating your back or neck,
and stay pain-free.

Keep in mind: keeping your spine neutral is how humans are supposed to move. Your spine is a
support structure upon which your arms and legs rely to move. Your spine isn’t supposed to move a lot
during most activities, especially not with load or in repetitive motions. If you think of a car, your spine is
the chassis and your arms and legs are the axles and wheels. The chassis is meant to be stable, with
movement happening in the axles and wheels. It’s the same with your spine, arms and legs.

How to find your neutral spine

It’s quite easy to find your neutral spine:

 Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
 Try to relax everything in your body and just breathe.
 Start by performing a pelvic tilt (see the diagram below): flatten your low back into the floor,
and curl your tailbone upward. This is a posterior pelvic tilt. Now arch your back so that your low
back comes off of the floor and point your tailbone toward the ground. This is an anterior pelvic
tilt. Now, slowly go back and forth between those two motions a few times.
Find the position in your low back between the two extremes of flattening and arching that feels the
most comfortable and stop there. Hopefully this is a position in which you feel no pain. If you can’t get
to a pain-free position, that’s OK—just stop where you feel the least pain. This is your neutral spine.
We cannot over-emphasize how important it is to find your neutral spine. Everyone’s neutral spine is a
bit different. It depends on the anatomical condition of your lumbar spine. For most people, there will
be a gentle curve in the low back. For those who already have a disc bulge or related condition, their
neutral spine might be a more arched lower back. For those with stenosis, their neutral spine may be a
little more flattened than the one in our picture. Don’t worry.
Whatever feels the most comfortable for you is your neutral spine—for now. In time, your posture will
improve. Start our steps over and try to find it again. Practice several times until you feel comfortable
with what you feel is your neutral spine.

ANATOMICAL POSITION

Anatomic position is a standard reference position that is used to define terms that describe the
physical location of structures of the body and points on the body. In anatomic position, the person is
standing erect, facing forward, with the arms at the sides, the palms facing forward, and the fingers and
toes extended (Figure 1-2).
 FIGURE 1-2 Anatomic position is a reference position of the body in which the person is standing
erect, facing forward, with the arms at the sides, the palms facing forward, and the fingers and toes
extended.

Plane of Motion

Your body doesn’t move in one dimension. If it did, you wouldn’t be able to move your leg away
from you, toward you, in front and behind you. Your body moves in three dimensions, and the training
programs you design for your clients should reflect that. Designing an exercise program that utilizes all
planes of motion will help your clients train their body in the same manner that it moves in real life.
Let's Examine Each Plane in a Bit More Detail
Dividing the body into left and right halves using an imaginary line gives us the sagittal plane.
Any forward and backward movement parallel to this line occurs in the sagittal plane.
With the same imaginary line, divide the body into front and back halves and you have the
frontal plane. Any lateral (side) movement parallel to the line will occur in the frontal plane.
Last, but certainly not least, we have the transverse plane, which divides the body into superior
and inferior halves. Movement parallel to the waistline, otherwise known as rotational movement,
occurs in the transverse plane.

For a clearer understanding, we can view the planes as they relate to exercises performed in a
workout session. Below are a few exercises performed in each plane.
  Sagittal plane: bicep curl and forward or reverse lunges
 Frontalplane:  dumbbell lateral (side) raise
 Transverse: horizontal wood chop

Once you are able to grasp the concept of movement within the three planes, client program
design will be seamless.

ANATOMICAL TERMS OF LOCATION

The anatomical terms of location are vital to understanding and using anatomy. They help to

avoid any ambiguity that can arise when describing the location of structures.

1. Medial and Lateral

Imagine a line in the sagittal plane, splitting the right and left halves evenly. This is the
midline. Medial means towards the midline, lateral means away from the midline.
Examples:
 The eye is lateral to the nose.
 The nose is medial to the ears.
 The brachial artery lies medial to the biceps tendon.

2. Anterior and Posterior

Anterior refers to the ‘front’, and posterior refers to the ‘back’. Putting this in context, the heart
is posterior to the sternum because it lies behind it. Equally, the sternum is anterior to the heart
because it lies in front of it.
Examples
 Pectoralis major lies anterior to pectoralis minor.
 The triceps are posterior to biceps brachii.
 The patella is located anteriorly in the lower limb

3. Superior and Inferior

These terms refer to the vertical axis. Superior means ‘higher’, inferior means ‘lower’. The head is
superior to the neck; the umbilicus is inferior to the sternum.
Here we run into a small complication, and limbs are very mobile, and what is superior in one position is
inferior in another. Therefore, in addition to the superior and inferior, we need another descriptive pair
of terms:
Examples
 The nose is superior to the mouth.
 The lungs are superior to the liver.
 The appendix is (usually) inferior to the transverse colon

4. Proximal and Distal

The terms proximal and distal are used in structures that are considered to have a beginning and an end
(such as the upper limb, lower limb and blood vessels). They describe the position of a structure with
reference to its origin – proximal means closer to its origin, distal means further away.
Examples:
 The wrist joint is distal to the elbow joint.
 The scaphoid lies in the proximal row of carpal bones.
 The knee joint is proximal to the ankle joint.

ANATOMICAL TERMS OF MOVEMENT

Anatomical terms of movement are used to describe the actions of muscles upon the skeleton.
Muscles contract to produce movement at joints, and the subsequent movements can be precisely
described using this terminology.
The terms used assume that the body begins in the anatomical position. Most movements have
an opposite movement – also known as an antagonistic movement. We have described the terms in
antagonistic pairs for ease of understanding.

1. Flexion and Extension

Flexion and extension are movements that occur in the sagittal plane. They refer to increasing and
decreasing the angle between two body parts:

Flexion refers to a movement that decreases the angle between two body parts. Flexion at the elbow is
decreasing the angle between the ulna and the humerus. When the knee flexes, the ankle moves closer
to the buttock, and the angle between the femur and tibia gets smaller.

Extension refers to a movement that increases the angle between two body parts. Extension at the
elbow is increasing the angle between the ulna and the humerus. Extension of the knee straightens the
lower limb.
2. Abduction and Adduction

Abduction and adduction are two terms that are used to describe movements towards
or away from the midline of the body.

Abduction is a movement away from the midline – just as abducting someone is to take
them away. For example, abduction of the shoulder raises the arms out to the sides of the body.

Adduction is a movement towards the midline. Adduction of the hip squeezes the legs
together. In fingers and toes, the midline used is not the midline of the body, but of the hand
and foot respectively. Therefore, abducting the fingers spreads them out

3. Medial and Lateral Rotation

Medial and lateral rotation describe movement of the limbs around their long axis:

Medial rotation is a rotational movement towards the midline. It is sometimes referred

to as internal rotation. To understand this, we have two scenarios to imagine. Firstly, with a
straight leg, rotate it to point the toes inward. This is medial rotation of the hip. Secondly,
imagine you are carrying a tea tray in front of you, with elbow at 90 degrees. Now rotate the
arm, bringing your hand towards your opposite hip (elbow still at 90 degrees). This is internal
rotation of the shoulder.

Lateral rotation is a rotating movement away from the midline. This is in the opposite
direction to the movements described above.
 4. Elevation and Depression

Elevation refers to movement in a superior direction (e.g. shoulder shrug), depression refers to

movement in an inferior direction.

5. Pronation and Supination

This is easily confused with medial and lateral rotation, but the difference is subtle. With your
hand resting on a table in front of you, and keeping your shoulder and elbow still, turn your hand onto
its back, palm up. This is the supine position, and so this movement is supination.
Again, keeping the elbow and shoulder still, flip your hand onto its front, palm down. This is the
prone position, and so this movement is named pronation.
These terms also apply to the whole body – when lying flat on the back, the body is supine.
When lying flat on the front, the body is prone.

6. Dorsiflexion and Plantarflexion

Dorsiflexion and plantarflexion are terms used to describe movements at the ankle. They refer
to the two surfaces of the foot; the dorsum (superior surface) and the plantar surface (the sole).
 Dorsiflexion refers to flexion at the ankle, so that the foot points more superiorly. Dorsiflexion
of the hand is a confusing term, and so is rarely used. The dorsum of the hand is the posterior surface,
and so movement in that direction is extension. Therefore we can say that dorsiflexion of the wrist is
the same as extension.
Plantarflexion refers extension at the ankle, so that the foot points inferiorly. Similarly there is a
term for the hand, which is palmarflexion.

7. Inversion and Eversion

Inversion and eversion are movements which occur at the ankle joint, referring to the rotation
of the foot around its long axis.
Inversion involves the movement of the sole towards the median plane – so that the sole faces
in a medial direction.
Eversion involves the movement of the sole away from the median plane – so that the sole
faces in a lateral direction.

8. Opposition and Reposition

A pair of movements that are limited to humans and some great apes, these terms apply to
the additional movements that the hand and thumb can perform in these species.
Opposition brings the thumb and little finger together.
Reposition is a movement that moves the thumb and the little finger away from each other,
effectively reversing opposition

9. Protraction and Retraction

 Protraction describes the anterolateral movement of the scapula on the thoracic wall that
allows the shoulder to move anteriorly. In practice, this is the movement of ‘reaching out’ to something.
Retraction refers to the posteromedial movement of the scapula on the thoracic wall, which
causes the shoulder region to move posteriorly i.e. picking something up

10. Circumduction

Circumduction can be defined as a conical movement of a limb extending from the joint at
which the movement is controlled.
It is sometimes talked about as a circular motion, but is more accurately conical due to the
‘cone’ formed by the moving limb

Examples of Circumduction:
1. Circumduction of an arm (from the shoulder joint):

Hold an arm extended outwards from the body e.g. the right hand extended to the right
side. Circumduction is the movement that occurs when the arm is held straight at
the elbow joint while whole limb from the shoulder to the finger tips is moved as if to
draw circles with the hand/fingers at arms length from the centre of the body.

2. Circumduction of a leg (from the hip joint):

Holding one leg straight at the knee joint rotate that straight leg from the hip so that the
extreme end of the leg (e.g. the great toe if the foot is pointed outwards) traces a circle
as it moves around in space.

Other similar movements:

Some other joints including some of the condyloid joints at the wrist and the base of the fingers
are sometimes said to be able to produce a circumduction movement. However, the apparent rotation
at these joints is really - that is, more accurately, a combination of flexion and extension, abduction,
and adduction movements. Only the ball-and-socket joints at the shoulder and hip execute true 360
degree circumduction movements.

11. Anterior pelvic rotation and Posterior pelvic rotation (Pelvic tilt)

Posterior pelvic tilt is a movement in which the front of the pelvis rises and the back of the pelvis
drops, while the pelvis rotates upwards. Posterior movement of upper pelvis; iliac crest tilts
backward in a sagittal plane; posterior tilt. Anterior movement of upper pelvis; iliac crest tilts
forward in a sagittal plane; anterior tilt

12. Lateral pelvic rotation (right and Left)

Left lateral pelvic rotation – in frontal plane left pelvis moves inferiorly in relation to right pelvis;
either left pelvis rotates downward or right pelvis rotates upward; left lateral tilt. Right lateral
 pelvic rotation – in frontal plane right pelvis moves inferiorly in relation to left pelvis; either right
pelvis rotates downward or left pelvis rotates upward; right lateral tilt

13. Left transverse pelvic rotation and Right transverse pelvic rotation

Left transverse pelvic rotation – in horizontal plane pelvis rotates to body's left; right iliac crest
moves anteriorly in relation to left iliac crest, which moves posteriorly. Right transverse pelvic
rotation – in horizontal plane pelvis rotates to body's right; left iliac crest moves anteriorly in
relation to right iliac crest, which moves posteriorly