Flektieren

Flektieren is a German verb used primarily in anatomy and medicine to describe the bending of a joint, i.e., the reduction of the angle between two adjacent body parts. It corresponds to the anatomical concept of flexion, while the everyday German term for the action is Beugung. The word derives from the Latin flectere, “to bend.”

In clinical and physiotherapeutic contexts, flektieren denotes the active or passive bending movement performed during examination or therapy. For example, a clinician may ask a patient to flektieren the knee or elbow to assess range of motion. The opposite movement is Streckung, or extension, which increases the joint angle. Movements are commonly described for joints such as Knie, Ellbogen, Schulter or Hüfte.

Notes on usage: flektieren tends to be found in technical or academic language. In everyday speech, speakers may use beugen or occasionally flexen (informal) to convey the same idea. The noun form most often used in medical texts is Flexion (Beugung), with flektieren serving as the corresponding verb.