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Muscles Involved in Pronation

Joints are the anatomical structures forming the connections between bones. Muscles are responsible for the changes in joint position that occur with movement. Some muscle movements are general and can occur in different areas of the body, such as flexing and extending. Other muscle movements, such as pronation and supination, are specific and only occur with respect to certain joints.

  1. Muscle Motion

    • The different muscle motions are described as deviations from standard body position and occur as pairs of opposites. For example, standing straight with your arms by your sides is standard body position. When you flex your arm at the elbow, the forearm moves up. When the opposite occurs and you extend the arm, it returns to the standard position. The terms flex and extend represent the pair of opposing motions that move the forearm from, and return it to, its normal body position.

    Hand Pronation

    • Pronation represents a type of muscle motion that is specific to the hand and foot. When the hand is in its standard position, the palm faces inward and rests against the leg. Pronation occurs when the hands are rotated so that the palms face backward. When the elbow is bent at a 90-degree angle, as if playing the piano, pronation causes the palms to face downward. The muscles responsible for hand pronation are the pronator teres and pronator quadratus.

    Foot Pronation

    • Pronation of the foot is a normal process when walking or running and functions to absorb shock. When the foot pronates, it rolls inward so that the sole of the foot faces more outward. Pronation is the medical term used to describe this motion. Anatomically, it is called eversion. The primary muscles responsible for pronation (eversion) of the foot are the pereneus longus and pereneus brevis muscles.

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