Human Movement and the Sciences PDF

Preview

Summary

Talks about the movements of the body....

Description

Human Movement and the Sciences In studying the human motion, and how the people move in different contexts, other sciences will be involved and connected to the study of Human Movement. Studying human movement also focuses on issues encountered in physical activity in every-day life, related to work and free time, as well as recreational and top-level sports. Human Movement science is defined by Frank Stuart (2012) as the scientific study of how the human body works, with a particular focus on improving the workings of the human body for sport, fitness and well-being. He stated that it covers the physiological, biomechanical and psychological systems of the body. According to Nancy Hamilton, Wendi Weimar, and Kathryn Luttgens (2008), the accumulated knowledge of the study of the human body as a machine for the performance of work is the foundation for the study of human movement. This is the main core of Kinesiology, that studies the human movement from the view point of the physical sciences. In line with Kinesiology is the science of movement of a living body, Biomechanics. It is part of the larger field of kinesiology, specifically focusing on the mechanics of movement, which is also both a basic and applied science, encompassing research and practical use of its findings. Defined by Paul Rogers (2018), as the science of movement that includes how muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments work together to produce movement. Additionally, two more sciences involved in human movement science are the study of anatomy and physiology wherein anatomy is defined as the identification and description of the structures of living things (Christian Nordqvist, 2017). It is a branch of biology and medicine that studies the structures of the human body and is the key to the practice of health and medicine. While Physiology, according to Tim Newman (2017), deals with the functions and activities of the body, including the physical and chemical phenomena involved. It tests how

organs and systems within the body work, how they communicate, and how they combine their efforts to make conditions favorable for survival.

Below is a graphic organizer of the summary of the definition of Human Movement and the Sciences involved.

Graphic Organizer 1. Human Movement and the other Sciences. Kinesiology study of human movement from the point of view of the physical sciences.

Anatomy identifies, describes and studies the structures of the human body Human Movement Science studies how the human body works improving the workings of the human body for sport, fitness and wellbeing.

Biomechanics studies how muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments work together to produce movement.

Physiology deals with the functions and activities of the body.

The human body has anatomical position, planes and directions. The Anatomical Position, as defined by Courtney Smith (2013) in her article, is the description of any region or part of the body in a specific stance. In the anatomical position, the body is upright, directly

facing the observer, feet flat and directed forward. The upper limbs are at the body’s sides with the palms facing forward, as shown in the image below. Image 1. Anatomical Position of the Body.

The human body has planes, or often referred to as the anatomical planes, wherein in technical terms planes are the area of a two-dimensional surface. Smith (2013) stated that when planes are used in conjunction with anatomy, planes are used to divide the body and its parts, which allows you to describe the views from which you study the body. The commonly used planes are the (1) Frontal Plane, that divides the body into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions, (2) Transverse Plane, which divides the body into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) portions, and (3) Sagittal Plane, the vertical plane that divides the body into right and left sides. Image 2. Anatomical Planes of the Body.

In reality, the planes used are completely imaginary, but they are just a helpful visual in terms of describing a view. It would enable us to describe certain areas that would not be easily visible or accessible. Smith (2013) further added that just like we use the cardinal directions to explain the location of certain regions (north, south, west, east, etc.), there are those we call directional terms to describe the regions of the body. She listed down 11 commonly used directional terms, which are the following; (1) Anterior, at or near the front of the body (front view), (2) Posterior, at or near the back of the body (back view), (3) Midline, an imaginary vertical line that divides the body equally (right down the middle), (4) Lateral, farther from midline (side view), (5) Medial, nearer to midline (side view), (6) Superior, toward the head/upper part of a structure (bird’s-eye view, looking down), (7) Inferior, away from the head/lower part of a structure (bottom view, looking up), (8) Superficial, close to the surface of the body, (9) Deep, away from the surface of

the body, (10) Proximal, nearer to the origination of a structure, and (11) Distal, farther from the origination of a structure. Image 3. Anatomical Directions of the Body.

The human body is composed of the different systems and organs that allow it to function and make movements properly. Fact Monster Encyclopedia (2017), stated that our body structures are arranged into several different systems that has its own specific function. The smallest units in the body are cells, which share certain characteristics and these tiny structures are collected into tissues, which are themselves arranged into organs. The different body systems consist of collections of cells, tissues, and organs with a common purpose. There are a total of 11 organ systems in our body. Image 4.1. The Organ Systems of the Body.

Image 4.2. The Integumentary System of the Human Body.

There are particular terms that are used to describe the actions of muscles on the skeleton and these are referred to as the Anatomical Terms of Motion. Oliver Jones (2018) listed in his article 16 terms. Two of which are Flexion and Extension that are movements that occur in the sagittal plane. Flexion refers to a movement that decreases the angle between two body parts while Extension refers to a movement that increases the angle between two body parts. Image 5. 1. Flexion and Extension of the Human Body.

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 while Adduction is a movement towards the midline. Image 5.2. Abduction and Adduction and Medial and Lateral Rotation of the Body.

Medial and lateral rotation describe movement of the limbs around their long axis. Medial rotation is a rotational movement towards the midline. Lateral rotation is a rotating movement away from the midline. Elevation refers to movement in a superior direction while depression refers to movement in an inferior direction. Image 5.3. Elevation and Depression of the Human Body.

Pronation refers to the inward roll of the foot during normal motion and occurs as the outer edge of the heel strikes the ground and the foot rolls inward and flattens out. While Supination (or under-pronation) is the opposite of pronation and refers to the outward roll of the foot during normal motion. Image 5.4. Pronation and Supination of the Human Body.

Dorsiflexion and plantarflexion are terms used to describe movements at the ankle. Dorsiflexion refers to flexion at the ankle, so that the foot points more superiorly. Plantarflexion refers extension at the ankle, so that the foot points inferiorly. Image 5.5. Dorsiflexion and Plantarflexion of the Human Body.

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. Image 5.6. Inversion and Eversion of the Human Body

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. Image 5.7. Opposition and Reposition of the Human Body

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.

Image 5.8. Circumduction of the Human Body

References: 

Fact Monster (2017). E.encyclopedia Science: Human Body. Retrieved from: https://www.factmonster.com/dk/encyclopedia/science/body-systems/



Hamilton, N., Weimar, W., Luttgens, K. (2008). Kinesiology: Scientific Basis of Human Motion, Eleventh Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.



Jones, O. (2018). Anatomical Terms of Movement. Retrieved from: http://teachmeanatomy.info/the-basics/anatomical-terminology/terms-of-movement/



Newman, T. (2017). A Brief Introduction to Physiology. Retrieved from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248791.php



Nordqvist, C. (2017). Anatomy: A Brief Introduction. Retrieved from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248743.php



Rogers, P. (2018). Biomechanics and Body Movement. Retrieved from: https://www.verywellfit.com/understanding-biomechanics-3498389



Smith, C. (2013). Anatomy and Physiology: Anatomical Planes and Cavities. Retrieved from: https://www.visiblebody.com/blog/anatomy-and-physiology-anatomical-planesand-cavities



Smith, C. (2013). Anatomy and Physiology: Anatomical Position and Directional Terms. Retrieved from: https://www.visiblebody.com/blog/anatomy-and-physiology-anatomicalposition-and-directional-terms



Stuart, F. (2012). What is human movement? Retrieved from: http://blog.acpe.edu.au/index.php/health-fitness/human-movement/...