Definitions

Elevation- Superior movement of the shoulder girdle, as in shrugging the shoulders.

Base of support: Area bound by the outermost regions of contact between a body and support surface or surfaces.

Stability: Resistance to disruption of equilibrium.

Extension: The act of straightening or extending a limb.

Frontal Plane: Plane in which lateral movements of the body and body segments occur.

Flexion: The act of bending a joint or limb in the body by the action of flexors.

Lift: Force acting on a body in a fluid in a direction perpendicular to the fluid flow.


Center of Gravity: Point around which a body's weight is equally balanced, no matter how the body is positioned.

Bending: Asymmetric loading that produces tension on one side of a body's longitudinal axis and compression on the other side.

Contract: The shortening of a muscle.

Neutral: Maintaining an even balance in relation to the body.

 Weight: Attractive force that the earth exerts on a body.

Abdominal Muscle- Provide support for the torso, help the body move, and for the breathing process.

Stabilizer: Role played by a muscle acting to stabilize a body part against some other force.

Accuracy: The ability of a measurement to match the actual value of the quantity being measured.

Posterior:  Relating to the backside.

Compression: pressing or squeezing force directed axially through the body.

Tension: pulling or stretching force directed axially through the body.

Sagittal plane: plane in which forward and backward movements occur.

Inferior: relating to the lower half of the body.

Lateral flexion:  Bending of the body to one side or the other.

Mass: relating to the matter inside and object.


Eccentric: describing a contraction involving lengthening of the muscle.

Concentric: describing a contraction where the muscle shortens.

Quadriceps:  the rectis femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius