Which movement describes abduction?

Which movement describes abduction?

• A. Movement toward the midline
• B. Circular movement
• C. Rotation
• D. Movement away from the midline

Answer: (D)

Abduction is movement away from the midline of the body. For example, lifting an arm out to the side away from the body or moving a leg outward at the hip shows abduction. This describes increasing the distance between the limb and the body's midline. In contrast, moving toward the midline is adduction (such as bringing the arm back to your side). A circular movement, or circumduction, describes tracing a cone-shaped path that combines several movements, not the single action of moving away from the midline. Rotation involves turning a limb around its long axis, which doesn’t by itself specify moving away from or toward the midline. So the movement that matches abduction is the one where the limb moves away from the midline.

Abduction is movement away from the midline of the body. For example, lifting an arm out to the side away from the body or moving a leg outward at the hip shows abduction. This describes increasing the distance between the limb and the body's midline. In contrast, moving toward the midline is adduction (such as bringing the arm back to your side). A circular movement, or circumduction, describes tracing a cone-shaped path that combines several movements, not the single action of moving away from the midline. Rotation involves turning a limb around its long axis, which doesn’t by itself specify moving away from or toward the midline. So the movement that matches abduction is the one where the limb moves away from the midline.