Human Body and its Movements: Definition, and Types

When you are doing different exercises, how do you move your hands and legs? We usually start with simple motions like rolling, crawling, and eventually walking when we are young. As we become older, our body movement becomes more refined. The concept of movement, types of movements in the human body, and much more are covered in the article, Human Body and its Movements. Is it true that bone alone aids movement? To know the solution for all the doubts and to know more about the Human Body and its Movements, scroll down the article.

What is Movement?

The act of moving or changing one’s position is referred to as movement. When a live organism moves a bodily part or parts without changing its location, it is said to be moving. Locomotion occurs when a portion of the body moves, causing an organism’s position to change.

Fig: Body Movement

Types of Movements in Human Body

The human body exhibit four types of movements, they are as follows:

1. Amoeboid Movement

i. This movement is brought by pseudopodia. For example, macrophages and leukocytes move with the help of pseudopodia and engulf pathogens.
ii. Neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, stem cells, and specific tumor cells associated with leukemia, lymphoma, and small cell lung carcinoma also display amoeboid movement.

2. Ciliary Movement

i. Most of our internal tubular organs are lined by ciliated epithelium.
ii. Those which are present in the trachea help in removing dust particles.
iii. In the spinal canal, they help in the movement of cerebrospinal fluid.
iv. In the female reproductive system, the ciliary movement includes the migration of eggs in the female reproductive tract.

Learn Everything About Joints Here

3. Muscular Movement

i. Muscle tissue aids in locomotion and movement.
ii. For example, eyelids, tongues, limbs, blood within blood vessels, and the heart. This movement necessitates muscle, skeletal, and neural system synchronization.
iii. Muscles are made up of mesodermal cells.
iv. Skeletal muscles, smooth muscles, and cardiac muscles are categorized based on their structure.

4. Flagellar Movement

The propulsion of flagella helps the human sperms to move towards the ovum.

Skeletal System

It is made up of bones and cartilages that form a framework. They make up the body’s interior structure (endoskeleton). Tendons and ligaments are skeletal connective structures that are also linked.

Bone

It is the hardest tissue, a homeostatic reservoir of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, etc. It’s the most important part of a vertebrate’s endoskeleton.

Muscle

It is a specialized contractile tissue that allows different bodily components to move. It is mesodermal in origin, and it accounts for 40-50% of the body’s weight.
Muscles are classified into three kinds based on their location: striated, non-striated, and cardiac muscles.

Joints

A joint, also known as an articulation, is the meeting point of two bones in the skeletal system. The science of joint anatomy, function, and dysfunction is known as arthrology.
Cartilage – This is a type of tissue that covers the surface of a bone at a joint.  Cartilage aids in the reduction of friction during joint movement.
Synovial membrane – The synovial membrane is a tissue that borders the joint and closes it into a capsule. To lubricate the joint, the synovial membrane secretes a clear, sticky fluid known as synovial fluid.
Ligaments – The ligaments are strong, elastic bands of connective tissue that surround the joint, providing support and restricting mobility. These ligaments are the connective tissue that holds bones together.
Tendons – Tendons are another kind of strong connective tissue that links to muscles that regulate joint mobility on both sides of the joint. Tendons are the ones that link muscles to bones.

Types of Joints in the Human Body

There are three types of joints in the human body. They are classified according to how much movement they allow:

a. Synarthroses (immovable)

i. Fixed or fibrous joints are known as synarthroses. They are described as two or more bones that are in close touch but do not move.
ii. A good example is the bones of the skull. Sutures are the immovable joints between the plates of the skull.

b. Amphiarthrosis (slightly moveable)

i. These joints, also known as cartilaginous joints, are described as two or more bones locked together so firmly that only limited movement is possible.
ii. The spine’s vertebrae are an excellent example.

c. Diarthroses (freely moveable)

i. These joints, also known as synovial joints, have synovial fluid that allows all components of the joint to move easily against one another.
ii. The most common joints in our body are these joints. Joints such as the knee and shoulder are examples.

Movements in Human Body

Some of the body movement carried out in Human body is given below:

Movement in Neck

I. The pivot joint is a synovial junction that connects the ends of two bones. A cylinder-shaped bone rotates within another ligament that forms a ring around the joint.
II. The atlas and the axis, which are just under the skull, form a joint that permits the head to swivel from side to side. The pivot joints allow for the rotation of the cranium and also the movement of the neck.

Bending and Straightening of Arms

I. Our arm is made up of two parts: the upper and lower arm, which are connected at the elbow. There is only one bone in the upper arm.
II. A ball and socket joint connect the top of the upper arm bone to the shoulder blade. There are two bones in the lower arm.
III. A hinge joint connects the upper arm bone to the lower arm bone at the elbow. The biceps and triceps muscles are located on both sides of the upper arm bone.
IV. The flexor muscle is the one that contracts to cause a joint to bend. To bend and straighten the elbow joint, the biceps and triceps work together.
V. The biceps tightens, and the triceps relax as you bend your elbow. The triceps tighten, and the biceps release to straighten the elbow.

Movement in Wrist and Fingers

The movement of the wrist and fingers are the gliding joint and Condyloid joint, and saddle joint.

i. The plane joint is another name for the gliding joint. It has smooth surfaces that may glide over one another, despite the fact that it only allows restricted mobility. This joint helps in moving the wrist up and down and to rotate.

ii. The condyloid joint is a kind of joint that permits movement but not rotation. Our finger joints and also the jaws are moved with the help of condyloid joints.

iii. Although the saddle joint does not allow for rotation, it does allow for movement back and forth as well as side to side. The joint is present at the base of our thumb and helps in the movement of the thumb.

Movement in Hands and Legs

There are different joints involved in different movements of hands, forearms and legs. The shoulder and elbow movements of hands and hip and knee movement of legs are carried out by three types of joints, namely, ball and socket joint, pivot joint, and hinge joint.
Ball and socket joint – The ball and socket joint consist of one bone’s rounded head sitting in the cup of another bone, allowing movement in all directions. The shoulder joint and hip joint are two examples.
a. Shoulder joint –
The shoulder joint is formed by the articulation of the head of the humerus with the cup-like glenoid cavity (or fossa) of the scapula. This is a ball and socket joint between the scapula and the humerus.
b. Hip joint –
I. We can move our leg forward and backward, as well as from side to side and rotate it if we stand up and move our leg around at the hip. This is due to the existence of a ball and socket joint. The thigh bone’s top end is shaped like a ball, whereas the hip bone contains sockets.
II. A ball and socket joint is formed when the ball on the upper end of the thigh bone fits into the socket in the hip bone. The ball of the thigh bone mayly spin in the socket of the hip bone, allowing the leg to move in all directions through the ball and socket joint at the hip.

Pivot Joint – The pivot joint is located at the elbow in the forearm. The radius and ulna are the two bones that make up the forearm. The pivot joint in the forearm causes the radius and ulna bones to twist around each other. The pivot joint in the forearm allows us to turn our forearm to raise or lower the palm of our hand.
Hinge joint – Like a door, the hinge joint opens and closes in one direction and along one plane. Our elbow joint and the knee joint are two examples.

Movement in Knee

I. Like a door on its hinges, we can only bend our legs in one direction: forward and backward. The joint that helps in this is a hinge joint.
II. The lower end of the upper leg bone, or thigh bone, is shaped like a knob, whereas the upper end of the lower leg bone is shaped like a cup.
III. To produce a hinge joint at the knee, the knob of the upper leg bone fits into the cup of the lower leg bones.
IV. To produce a hinge joint at the knee, the knob of the upper leg bone fits into the cup of the lower leg bones.

Movement in Toe and Foot

I. Toe movement is generally flexion and extension (movement toward the sole or the back of the foot, resp.) via muscular tendons that attach to the toes on the anterior and superior surfaces of the phalanx bones.
II. Dorsiflexion is the raising of the front of the foot such that the top of the foot moves toward the anterior leg, whereas plantar flexion is the lifting of the heel of the foot from the ground or pointing the toes downward.

A moving entity is one that moves from point A to point B. The movement has a direction and revolves around a fixed axis or fulcrum. We learned from this article that movement refers to the temporary or permanent displacement of a body or its parts from their original location. Living organisms and their components move in reaction to external and internal stimuli.
Locomotion, on the other hand, is when the complete body is moved from one location to another. Movements such as blinking, eating, and breathing are all instances of movement. As a result, we may claim that every second, some portion of our body makes some type of movement. We also learned that the human body’s cells show three different ways, i.e., amoeboid, ciliary, and muscular movement, and also, we studied joints and their types.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Human Body and its Movements

Q.1. How does movement occur in the body?
Ans: The body’s movements are caused by the coordinated contraction and relaxation of certain muscles. Nerve impulses are transported through neuromuscular junctions to the membrane that covers each muscle fiber, causing contraction.

Q.2. Which body part helps in movement?
Ans: Muscles help in movement.

Q.3. Which is the smallest joint in the human body?
Ans: The smallest joint in the human body is the stapes.

Q.4. How do bones move?
Ans: Tendons are strong connective tissues that link skeletal muscles to the skeleton. The ends of bones that meet at a joint are connected to many skeletal muscles. The muscles link the bones and span the joint. Muscle contraction pulls on the bones, which causes them to move.

Q.5. Where are flagella found in the human body?
Ans: The sperm cell is the only cell in the human body that shows flagellar movement.

Learn About Human Skeletal System Here

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