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Abduction

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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Abduction is the verb used to indicate movement of a body part away from the median plane or midline perpendicularly in the coronal plane. For example, the lateral rectus muscle moves the eye away from the midline.

Exceptions include:

  • abduction within the hand and foot where the movement is one of 'fanning out' of the digit or digits away from the median plane
  • abduction of the thumb which is a movement out of the plane of the hand

Abduction is the opposite of adduction.

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