What type of movement refers to moving a bone around its own axis?

The movement referred to as moving a bone around its own axis is known as rotation. This type of movement allows for a bone to turn in a circular path, providing significant mobility within joints such as the shoulder and hip. For example, when the head turns from side to side, it is rotating on the cervical vertebrae.

In contrast, flexion and extension involve changing the angle between two bones, typically at a joint, without any circular movement. Circumduction refers to a conical movement that combines flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction, resulting in a circular motion of a limb or joint but does not specifically denote rotation around an axis. The specific nature of rotation is what distinguishes it from these other types of movements.