Which movement is dorsiflexion?

Which movement is dorsiflexion?

• A. Dorsiflexion
• B. Plantar flexion
• C. Flexion
• D. Extension

Answer: (A)

Dorsiflexion is the movement at the ankle where the top of the foot moves closer to the shin, decreasing the angle between the leg and the top of the foot. You’re performing it when you lift your foot so your toes point upward, as in the swing phase of walking to clear the ground. The opposite action is plantar flexion, which points the toes downward (like standing on tiptoes). Flexion and extension are general terms for reducing or increasing angles at a joint, respectively, but they don’t specify the direction at the ankle. So the upward foot movement toward the shin is the dorsiflexion described here.

Dorsiflexion is the movement at the ankle where the top of the foot moves closer to the shin, decreasing the angle between the leg and the top of the foot. You’re performing it when you lift your foot so your toes point upward, as in the swing phase of walking to clear the ground. The opposite action is plantar flexion, which points the toes downward (like standing on tiptoes). Flexion and extension are general terms for reducing or increasing angles at a joint, respectively, but they don’t specify the direction at the ankle. So the upward foot movement toward the shin is the dorsiflexion described here.