Abduktionsbewegungen

Abduktionsbewegungen, also known as abduction, refers to the movement of a limb or other body part away from the midline of the body. In anatomical terms, the midline is an imaginary line that divides the body into equal left and right halves. Therefore, abduction is a motion that increases the angle between the body and the limb.

Examples of abduction include lifting the arm out to the side, away from the torso, or spreading the fingers apart from each other. Conversely, the movement towards the midline is called adduction. Abduction is a fundamental type of human motion, crucial for a wide range of activities from simple daily tasks like reaching for an object to more complex athletic movements.

Muscles responsible for abduction are called abductor muscles. For instance, the deltoid muscle on the shoulder is a primary abductor of the arm. In the hip, the gluteus medius and minimus muscles are key abductors of the leg. The range of abduction varies depending on the joint and the surrounding structures. Factors such as muscle strength, flexibility, and the integrity of the joint capsule and ligaments influence the extent to which a limb can be abducted. Understanding abduction is important in fields like physical therapy, sports medicine, and biomechanics for assessing movement capabilities and diagnosing potential issues.