Which term describes circular motion of a limb?

Which term describes circular motion of a limb?

• A. Abduction
• B. Rotation
• C. Adduction
• D. Circumduction

Answer: (D)

Circumduction is the circular motion of a limb, where the end of the limb traces a circle while the proximal joint stays relatively fixed. It happens by moving through a combination of flexion, extension, abduction and adduction at a ball-and-socket joint, creating a cone-shaped path for the hand or foot. A common example is swinging the arm in wide circles at the shoulder or tracing circles with the wrist while the elbow remains still. Rotation involves turning around the limb’s own axis, not tracing a circular path of the distal end. Abduction and adduction describe movements away from or toward the midline, not circular motion.

Circumduction is the circular motion of a limb, where the end of the limb traces a circle while the proximal joint stays relatively fixed. It happens by moving through a combination of flexion, extension, abduction and adduction at a ball-and-socket joint, creating a cone-shaped path for the hand or foot. A common example is swinging the arm in wide circles at the shoulder or tracing circles with the wrist while the elbow remains still. Rotation involves turning around the limb’s own axis, not tracing a circular path of the distal end. Abduction and adduction describe movements away from or toward the midline, not circular motion.