A muscle can pull through a tendon attached to bone. It does not become a pushing rod. One muscle action can bend a joint, while an opposing action straightens it. Watch the highlighted pull and the attached forearm together. The attached bones remain connected as the joint angle changes.
The human body · Discover & try
How can a pair of muscles move a joint both ways?
Reading level 1 of 5 · EarlyChange
Word help
Tendon
Tissue transmitting a muscle’s pull to bone.
Antagonistic pair
Muscles or groups that can produce opposing actions.
Watch · Try · Explain
See how it works
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A conceptual opposing pair. Shapes and angles are illustrative; real movement includes stabilisation and coordinated muscle activity.
What to look for
- One muscle pulls through a tendon and the forearm rotates.
- The opposing pull turns the forearm the other way.
Explain what you noticed
A different virtual joint needs to reverse its movement. Which strategy fits the muscle principle?
Keep this idea: Opposing muscle pulls can move a joint in opposite directions.
Follow the sources
- NIH NIAMS — Health Lesson: Learning About Muscles
- NIH National Cancer Institute — Structure of Skeletal Muscle
Source material checked 2026-10-29. Explanations and activities by Nepedia. Source links do not imply endorsement.
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