Adduction
Adductio
Definition
Adduction is defined as the movement of a limb or appendage, towards the midline.
For instance, when the hand is placed in a normal anatomical position, the inward movement of the index finger towards the midline (i.e. middle finger) and the movement of ring and little fingers towards the midline (or middle finger), are both examples of adduction movements of the fingers. Similarly, bringing the arms downwards and inwards towards the sides of the body is also an example of adduction.
The opposite of adduction is abduction, where the limb or the appendage moves away from the midline.
References
Text by Antoine Micheau, MD and reviewed by Muhammad A. Javaid, MD, PhD © 2023 IMAIOS.
Drake, R.L., Vogl, A.W. and Mitchell, A.W.M. (2009). ‘Chapter 7: Upper Limb’ in Gray’s anatomy for Students. (2nd ed.) Philadelphia PA 19103-2899: Elsevier, pp. 651-653.
White, T.D. and Folkens, P.A. (2005). ‘Chapter 6: ANATQMICAL TERMINQLQGY’ in The Human Bone Manual. Editor(s): White, T.D. and Folkens, P.A., Academic Press, pp. 67-74. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780120884674500090
Jones, O. (2020). Anatomical terms of movement in ‘TeachMeAnatomy’. Available at URL: https://teachmeanatomy.info/the-basics/anatomical-terminology/terms-of-movement/ [accessed on Feb 11th, 2023]
