Which plane primarily handles abduction and adduction movements?

Which plane primarily handles abduction and adduction movements?

• A. Sagittal plane
• B. Transverse plane
• C. Oblique plane
• D. Frontal plane

Answer: (D)

Abduction and adduction describe moving a limb away from or toward the body's midline. These motions occur mainly in the frontal (coronal) plane, a vertical plane that divides the body into front and back parts. Because the movement sweeps side to side rather than forward or backward, the frontal plane best describes it. For example, lifting the arm out to the side away from the body is abduction in the frontal plane; bringing it back toward the body is adduction. In contrast, flexion and extension occur in the sagittal plane (forward/backward), rotation is in the transverse plane, and the oblique plane describes diagonal movements that aren’t the primary reference for these actions. So the frontal plane is the plane that primarily handles abduction and adduction.

Abduction and adduction describe moving a limb away from or toward the body's midline. These motions occur mainly in the frontal (coronal) plane, a vertical plane that divides the body into front and back parts. Because the movement sweeps side to side rather than forward or backward, the frontal plane best describes it. For example, lifting the arm out to the side away from the body is abduction in the frontal plane; bringing it back toward the body is adduction. In contrast, flexion and extension occur in the sagittal plane (forward/backward), rotation is in the transverse plane, and the oblique plane describes diagonal movements that aren’t the primary reference for these actions. So the frontal plane is the plane that primarily handles abduction and adduction.