Which term describes circular movement that combines flexion and extension?

• A. Extension
• B. Flexion
• C. Circumduction
• D. Rotation

Answer: (C)

Circumduction describes a circular path of movement at a joint, where the limb’s end traces a circle by blending several movements in sequence. It combines flexion (bending), abduction (moving away from the body), extension (straightening), and adduction (moving toward the body) so the end moves in a cone-like circle. Simple flexion or extension are movements in a single plane, not a circle, and rotation is turning around an axis without tracing a circular path. An example is the shoulder or hip performing circumduction, where the hand or foot moves in a circle.