Anatomy and Physiology of Children and Adolescents - M. R. Sapin 2007

Musculoskeletal System
Bones of the Trunk and Their Joints
Movements of the Vertebral Column

Driven by skeletal Muscles, movements of THE Vertebral Column can occur in various directions: flexion (forward bending) and extension (straightening), abduction and adduction (lateral bending), twisting (rotation), and circumduction.

Flexion and extension occur around the frontal axis, with a range of motion reaching 170–245°. During these movements, the thickness of the intervertebral discs decreases on the side toward which the spine bends and increases on the opposite side.

Abduction and adduction of the vertebral column take place around the sagittal axis. The total range of motion for right and left lateral bending is approximately 165°.

Rotation of the vertebral column (turns to the right and left) occurs around the vertical (longitudinal) axis, with a total range of motion of about 120°.

Circumduction of the vertebral column results from the successive combination of various other spinal movements. In this motion, the sacrum remains stationary while the HEAD describes a small circle, and the moving vertebral column traces a cone-shaped figure.

The range and direction of movement in each region of the vertebral column (cervical, thoracic, lumbar) vary. The cervical region is the most mobile due to the substantial height of its intervertebral discs and the orientation of its articular surfaces, which facilitate gliding movements.

The thoracic region is the least mobile, which is attributed to the relatively thin intervertebral discs, the sharp downward inclination of the spinous processes, and the presence of costal articulations.

In the lumbar region, the range of flexion-extension reaches 100–110°. Movements around the sagittal axis are also possible here.

During all trunk movements, the vertebral column acts as a unified whole; therefore, its overall mobility is determined by the structural characteristics of all types of intervertebral joints, including intervertebral discs, synovial joints, and syndesmoses.



Last update: 10/08/2026

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