NETA Personal Trainer Practice Exam

What term describes a movement that brings two body parts closer together at a joint?

1. Extension

2. Flexion

3. Abduction

4. Adduction

The correct answer is: Flexion

The term that describes a movement bringing two body parts closer together at a joint is flexion. Flexion occurs when the angle between two body segments is decreased. For example, when you bend your elbow or knee, you are performing flexion at those joints. This movement contrasts with extension, which increases the angle between body parts, and is often perceived as the opposite of flexion. Adduction and abduction refer to movements toward and away from the body's midline, respectively, but they do not specifically indicate the action of bringing two body parts closer together at a joint in the same manner that flexion does. Thus, flexion is the most appropriate term for the described movement of decreasing the angle at a joint.