Organization / Movement Types
Types of Movements
| There are 4 types of movements: reflex, postural, rhythmic and voluntary. They can be thought of as a continuum with respect to the amount of control coming from higher centers, with reflexes having the least, and voluntary movements the most. |  |
- REFLEXES: fixed, automatic movements triggered in response to a specific sensory stimulus
- usually fairly rapid
- little voluntary control, but can be modulated
- e.g., patellar tendon, eye blink, etc.
- POSTURAL MOVEMENTS: combination of reflex and volition used to maintain an upright position with respect to gravity
- e.g., vestibulospinal reflexes
- RHYTHMIC MOVEMENTS: also a combination of reflex and volition
- initiation and termination is voluntary, but the actual movement is more stereotyped
- e.g., walking, running, chewing, etc.
- VOLUNTARY MOVEMENTS: purposeful, goal-directed movements
- initiated entirely from within the CNS
- performance improves with practice
- reflex and postural movements are often initiated that compensate for the effects of the intended action on other parts of the body
- for most movements, the actions of GROUPS of muscles, as well as the activation patterns of individual muscles, must be coordinated
- the prototypical examples are the actions of AGONISTS and ANTAGONISTS; both groups of muscles are controlled simultaneously by the CNS
- starting position of the individual muscle fibres and body position must be taken into account (i.e., there is input from proprioceptors as well as muscle receptors)
- muscles must provide stability across joints that may be far removed from the muscle in question
- for example, during weightlifting, muscles throughout the body stabilize body position so that the actions of a single muscle group can be isolated