Flexion

The process of bending or the state of being bent. Flexion of the fingers results in a clenched fist.

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1. The act of flexing or bending, e.g., bending of a joint so as to approximate the parts it connects; bending of the spine so that the concavity of the curve looks forward. 2. The condition of being flexed or bent. [L. flecto, pp. flexus, to bend]

- palmar f. bending the hand or fingers toward the palmar surface.

- plantar f. bending the foot or toes toward the plantar surface.

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flex·ion also flec·tion 'flek-shən n

1) a bending movement around a joint in a limb (as the knee or elbow) that decreases the angle between the bones of the limb at the joint compare EXTENSION (2)

2) a forward raising of the arm or leg by a movement at the shoulder or hip joint

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n.

the bending of a joint so that the bones forming it are brought towards each other. Plantar flexion is the bending of the toes (or fingers) downwards, towards the sole (or palm). See also dorsiflexion.

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flex·ion (flekґshən) [L. flexio] 1. the act of bending or condition of being bent. 2. in gynecology, a displacement of the uterus in which the organ is bent so far anteriorly or posteriorly that an acute angle forms between the fundus and the cervix. See version (def. 3). 3. in obstetrics, the normal bending forward of the head of the fetus in the uterus or the birth canal.

Flexion and extension of the elbow.