Training 101: Planes of Motion & Terms of Movement

This briefing will familiarize you with the planes of motion and the terms of movement. This will help should the need arise that you decipher medical histories and information.
Sagittal plane:

The sagittal (anteroposterior) plane passes through the body from front to back and divides it into left and right portions. Several actions occur within this plane, such as flexion (decreasing the angle between two body segments), extension (increasing the angle between two body segments), dorsiflexion (moving the top of the foot toward

the shin) and plantarflexion (moving the top of the foot away from the shin). Three exercises that occur in this plane are biceps curls, leg curls, and calf raises.

Frontal plane:

The frontal (coronal) plane is a vertical plane which passes through the body from left to right, dividing the body into front and back portions. Several actions occur within this plane, including abduction (movement away from the midline of the body), adduction (movement toward the midline of the body), elevation (moving to a superior position at the scapula), depression (moving to an inferior position at the scapula), inversion (lifting the medial border of the foot), and eversion (lifting the lateral border of the foot). Three exercises that occur in this plane are lateral deltoid raises, hip abductors, and barbell shrugs.

Transverse plane:

The transverse (horizontal) plane passes through the body in a line parallel to the ground, dividing the body into upper and lower portions. Several actions occur within this plane, such as rotation (internal or external turning about the vertical axis of a bone), pronation (rotating the hand and wrist medially from the elbow), supination, (rotating the hand and wrist laterally from the elbow),

horizontal adduction (from a 90 degree abduction arm position, the humerus is flexed toward the midline of the body in the transverse plane), horizontal abduction), horizontal abduction (from a 90 degree adduction arm position, the humerus is extended away from the midline of the body in the transverse plane. Three movements that occur in this plane are shoulder external rotation at 90 degree abduction, standing side twists, and a backhand racquetball swing.

This exercise familiarized me with the planes of motion and the terms of movement. This will help should the need arise that I decipher medical histories and information.