What movement results in a decrease in the angle of a joint?

The movement that results in a decrease in the angle of a joint is flexion. Flexion occurs when two body parts are brought closer together, effectively reducing the angle between them. For example, when you bend your elbow or knee, you are performing flexion as the angle at those joints decreases. This movement is essential in various physical activities and exercises, facilitating actions like lifting an object or performing a bicep curl.

In contrast, extension refers to increasing the angle of a joint, hyperextension involves extending a joint beyond its normal range of motion, and abduction refers to moving a limb away from the midline of the body. Each of these movements plays distinct roles in human biomechanics, but flexion is specifically characterized by the reduction of the angle at a joint.