Elbow & Forearm in Motion
While eating cereal, a student brings the spoon from the table toward their mouth. What elbow motion is occurring?
Elbow flexion
A person moves the hand sideways toward the thumb while keeping the forearm still. Name the wrist motion.
Your thumb meets the index fingertip to pick up a coin. What thumb motion is this?
Opposition
A student shrugs the shoulders while reaching toward a high cabinet. Which portion of the trapezius is especially active?
Upper trapezius fibers
Getting up from a low couch requires the knees to straighten against gravity. Which muscle group performs this job?
Quadriceps
A therapist wants a nervous patient to feel steadier while standing. Should the patient place the feet closer together or farther apart?
Farther apart / widen the base of support
You turn your palm upward to receive a handful of coins. What forearm movement did you perform?
Supination
While tipping a frying pan, the wrist moves toward the little-finger side. What movement is this?
Ulnar Deviation
Before grabbing a large ball, a student spreads the fingers apart. Which intrinsic hand muscles help create this motion?
Dorsal interossei
While sitting in the driver's seat, someone reaches an arm backward toward an item in the back seat. Which portion of the deltoid helps move the arm backward?
Posterior deltoid
When stepping onto a curb, the thigh must move forward and upward at the hip. Which major muscle group is especially important for producing this hip motion?
Iliopsoas
A dancer keeps the feet planted and twists the trunk to look behind them. In which anatomical plane does most of this rotation occur?
Transverse plane
A client turns the palm downward to place trash into bin. Which muscle is strongly associated with this movement?
Pronator teres
A painter lifts the back of the hand upward while holding the forearm steady. What wrist motion is occurring?
Wrist Extension
A therapist asks a patient to hold a piece of paper tightly between two neighboring fingers. Which muscle group helps keep the fingers together?
Palmar interossei
Movement of the entire shoulder girdle must ultimately connect with the trunk through one true bony joint. Name that joint.
Sternoclavicular joint
During single-leg standing, weakness of one muscle may allow the pelvis to drop instead of remaining level. Which muscle is an important pelvic stabilizer?
Gluteus medius
During bed mobility, a person rotates the trunk toward the right. Which right-sided abdominal muscle can assist with rotation toward the same side?
Right internal oblique
A therapist tests elbow flexion twice: once with the palm up and once with the palm down. In which forearm position can the biceps brachii contribute more effectively?
Supination/palm-up
Two muscles on the radial side of the forearm work together during wrist extension and help pull the wrist toward the thumb. Name them.
extensor carpi radialis longus and extensor carpi radialis brevis
A patient can bend the middle joints of the fingers when gripping a cup. Which extrinsic finger flexor contributes strongly to MCP and PIP flexion?
Flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS)
A client has gradually developed severe shoulder stiffness because the joint capsule has become thick and tight. What condition best describes this problem?
Adhesive capsulitis / frozen shoulder
During a sports injury, a force pushes the knee inward toward the body's midline. Which ligament on the medial knee is designed to resist this stress?
Medial collateral ligament (MCL)
When the head balances around the upper cervical region, the axis lies between the muscular effort and the weight of the head. What class of lever does this represent?
First-class lever
A person turns a key without noticeably bending or straightening the elbow. Which joint near the elbow is essential for allowing the radius to rotate?
Proximal radioulnar joint
Wrapping the hand firmly around a hammer benefits from extra mobility on the ulnar side of the hand. Which two CMC joints provide more of this mobility?
Ring and small finger CMC joints
After a finger injury, a client can bend the PIP joint but cannot actively curl the fingertip at the DIP joint. Which muscle should be investigated?
Flexor digitorum profundus (FDP)
After a neurologic injury, a person's weak arm hangs unsupported and the humeral head drops partially away from its normal position without completely leaving the joint. What has occurred?
Glenohumeral subluxation
During running, one muscle group can help drive the thigh backward at the hip while also bending the knee. Name the group.
Hamstrings
An athlete's muscle contracts normally, but a torn structure prevents that force from being transmitted to the bone. The ligaments are intact. What structure was most likely torn?
Tendon