Which is an example of a frontal plane movement?

• A. Flexion At The Elbow
• B. Abduction Of The Shoulder
• C. Plantarflexion Of The Ankle
• D. Rotation Of The Neck

Answer: (B)

Movements are categorized by the plane in which they occur. The frontal plane runs vertically and splits the body into front and back parts, with abduction and adduction as its typical movements. Abduction of the shoulder involves lifting the arm away from the midline toward the side, which clearly happens in the frontal plane. In contrast, elbow flexion occurs in the sagittal plane (bending the elbow forward), plantarflexion at the ankle is also a sagittal-plane movement (bringing the foot downward), and neck rotation happens in the transverse plane (twisting the head left or right around a vertical axis). Therefore, abduction of the shoulder is the example of a frontal-plane movement.