Question

Matt is sitting in a chair at a table anxiously waiting for his Chinese takeout to arrive. The doorbell rings and Matt moves from his chair to go to the door to meet the delivery person. In the process of moving from his chair to ultimately sitting back in his chair and eating his sweet and sour chicken with rice, he has to progress through a series of motions. First he must stand upright from his sitting position in the chair. He turns around 180 degrees to face the door. Then he jumps over his couch, takes several steps forward, grabs the door knob, turns it 180 degrees clockwise and pulls open the door. Once he has the food in hand, he turns back around, walks back to his chair and sits down. He divides the food into two bowls for both Maria and himself. He grasps the chicken and rice with a set of chopsticks, raises it to his mouth, takes a bite, which he then chews and swallows.

All the actions that Matt made to move from the chair to the door and back involved the contraction of voluntary skeletal muscles that are each innervated by a specific nerve and each of which cross a specific joint or set of joints to produce a specific action. The series of above actions took Matt less than 3 minutes to complete.

Describe in order and in detail the following movements.

1. Stand up from a sitting position
2. While standing upright, turn around 180 degrees to face opposite direction
3. Jumping over the couch and taking several steps forward.
4. Reach forward and grasp a door knob.
5. Turn a door knob 180 degrees clockwise
6. Sit down in a chair.
7. Grasp the chopsticks.
8. Raise the chicken and rice from a bowl to mouth.
9. Bite, chew and then swallow a portion of the food.

Break down each of the above actions into an ordered series of joint movements. Actually do the actions yourself and note which joints move in what order.  What muscles produces these movements?

Answer 1

Answer 1

Stand up from sitting position

Muscles involved are all four quadriceps muscles ,the hamstrings,biceps triceps,gastrocnemius, muscle of Lower Torso, deltoid & latissimus dorsi

Nerves involved :

i) sciatic nerve,

ii) femoral nerve

iii) superior gluteal nerve

iv) lower six thoracic nerves

V) iliohypogastric, ilioinguinal nerves

vi) musculocutaneous nerve

vii) radial nerve (C6–C8)

viii) 6, 7, and 8 cervical nerves

Joints included: knee & hip joint

Answer 2

In turning 180 degrees while standing ( using the heels):

Muscles: abductor halluces muscles & abductor digit minimi muscles , gracilis, glutes,

Joint: ankle, knee and hip joint

Nerves: medial plantar nerve, femoral and sciatic nerve

Answer 3

In jumping over a couch & move several steps forward

Muscles:

i))Quadriceps

ii) Hamstring

iii) Soleus&gastrocnemius

iv) Adductors, along with gluteal muscles the hip flexors & extenders

Joints: i) Hip Joint, knee

ii) tibiofibular joint

iii) ankle joint& subtalar joint

Nerves: femoral nerve,sciatic nerve, tibial nerve, superior gluteal nerve, inferior gluteal nerve & obturator nerve

Answer 4

In reaching forward to grab the doorknob

Muscles:

i) Triceps brachii

ii) anconeus

iii) hamstrings

iv) gluteus maximus&rectus femoris

sartorius along with iliopsoas, tensor fasciae latae& quadriceps

V) gastrocnemius, soleus & anterior tibialis

Nerve: femoral nerve, sciatic nerve, tibial nerves, superior gluteal nerve ,radial nerve deep &peroneal nerve

Joint involved : Knee& Ankle Joint