Which of the following terms describes movement toward the midline of the body?

The term that describes movement toward the midline of the body is adduction. In anatomical terms, adduction refers to the action of bringing a body part closer to the central axis or midline. For instance, when you raise your arms sideways and then bring them back down to your sides, you are performing adduction.

In contrast, abduction refers to moving a body part away from the midline. It involves motions that increase the angle between the body part and the midline, such as lifting your arms sideways away from your body. Flexion and extension refer to bending and straightening movements, respectively, typically concerning joints. Flexion decreases the angle between two body parts, while extension increases that angle. Understanding these terms is crucial in fields like sports medicine, where describing and analyzing movement patterns is essential for injury prevention and rehabilitation.