Abduction is the term used to refer to the motion of moving a limb away from the Sagittal plane, as seen on the left.  The Sagittal plane is sometimes referred to as the “median plane” as well.

Abduction is the opposite motion of adduction, which is the motion of moving a limb towards the center of the Sagittal plane.

Exercises include shoulder, wrist, finger, thumb, hip, and toe abduction.  All stretching the muscles by moving the limb or appendage  away from the Sagittal plane.

Two very common exercises using abduction can be seen on the sides here.  Hip abduction and shoulder abduction are used to work the Gluteus medius muscle and Deltoid muscle respectively.

Related posts:

1. What is Muscle Imbalance? Amy Eschenberg, a physical therapist in Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills, defines muscle imbalance....

• June 7, 2011
• Yamini Yelamanchi
• Featured, Physical Therapy Terms
• agoura hills abduction, agoura hills adduction, agoura hills physical therapy, thousand oaks abduction, thousand oaks adduction, thousand oaks physical therapy