What type of muscle contraction involves movement and muscle shortening?

Isotonic contraction refers to a type of muscle contraction that results in movement and a change in muscle length. During isotonic contractions, the muscle generates enough force to overcome resistance, allowing it to shorten and enable movement at the joints involved. This can be observed in activities such as lifting weights or running, where the muscle contracts and shortens while moving the load.

In contrast, isometric contraction occurs when the muscle generates force without changing its length, such as pushing against a stationary object. Static contraction is another term aligned with isometric contractions but does not describe movement. Dynamic contraction can sometimes refer to either isotonic or isokinetic contractions but is generally less specific than isotonic when detailing the shortening of muscles and resulting movement. Thus, the defining characteristic of isotonic contraction is the combination of movement and muscle shortening, making it the correct choice in this context.