List of Terms

Afferent:

Information which travels toward the brain.

Agonist:

Muscles from the same side of the joint or helpful in the contraction in the same direction of movement.

Antagonist:

The muscles on the opposing side of a joint moving through a Range of motion.

Co-contraction:

Where both sides of a specific joint are contracting together to promote either stability or mobility as they slowly allow one side to lengthen and the other side to shorten.

Concentric Contraction:

The part of a muscular contraction involving the shortening phase of the movement.

Core Stabilization:

the balance of muscular contraction throughout the entire trunk responsible for stabilizing the shoulders and legs for mobility.

Eccentric Contraction:

The part of a muscular contraction involving the lengthening phase of the fibers.

Efferent:

Information which travels away from the brain.

Frontal Plane:

movement side to side-divides body into front and back halves.

Impingement or Impingement Syndrome:

The compression of the Supraspinatus muscle or tendon between the head of the humerus and the acromium of the scapula.

Momentum:

(p) is when an object or body is moving, it possesses a quality called momentum, which means the object tends to keep moving. This relates it to the laws of inertia except that momentum is a way to measure inertia. The equation for measuring momentum is defined as the product of its mass (m) times its velocity (v): p=me

Neural Adaptation:

Progressive training of the nervous system to provide exercise at a rapid or high velocity stimulus with moderate to low resistance. Train the body through the brain to movement patterns.

Newton's Laws of Inertia:

Three laws which state:

1. An object in motion will remain in motion and in the same direction unless some other object or force interacts to change the path or velocity of that motion.
2. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
3. Force= Mass X acceleration

Pelvic girdle:

The complex of muscles, which comprise the muscles, attached from deep in the spine and pelvic floor to the Femur (leg bone).

Plyometric:

The process of muscular activity, which involves the eccentric loading of a muscle, followed by an immediate concentric unloading of a muscle.

PNF:

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation. A technique used to provide rehab. To the body using all three planes of motion and the proprioceptive impute from the joints and muscles.

Power:

Power is Force x mass x acceleration over time.

Prone Progression:

Moving a person physically through the developmental steps in which the body matures as an infant. First with head movement progressing to rolling, up on elbows, sitting, all 4's, kneeling, 1/2 kneeling, standing.

Proprioception:

The position sense or awareness of where the body is in space. Up, down, left, right, bent or straight.

Proprioceptors:

The receptors in the muscles, ligaments and joints which are responsible for giving feedback to the brain and spinal cord about position sense.

Rotator Cuff:

The collection of 4 muscles comprising the:

1. Superspinatus
2. Infraspinatus
3. Teres minor
4. Subscapularus

Although the Serratus Anterior is not included in this group, it should be considered when training or rehabilitating the shoulder.

Saggittal Plane:

movement flexing forward and back- divides body into right and left halves.

Shoulder girdle:

the complex of muscles, which comprise the muscles, attached from the spine to the scapula and humerus.

Transverse Plane:

movement circular around left and right- divides body into top and bottom halves.