Which joint has a normative ROM endpoint of 0-180 degrees for abduction?

• A. Cervical Rotation
• B. Shoulder Abduction
• C. Elbow Extension
• D. Ankle Plantarflexion

Answer: (B)

Abduction is moving a limb away from the body's midline. The shoulder is the joint that allows a full 0 to 180-degree arc of abduction—from the arm hanging at the side up to the arm reaching overhead. This full range reflects both the glenohumeral joint and the accompanying scapulothoracic motion needed to reach 180 degrees. The other joints don’t move in this abduction pattern to a 180-degree endpoint: cervical rotation involves turning the head, not moving the arm through that arc; elbow extension is the straightening of the elbow (not an abduction movement); and ankle plantarflexion is pointing the foot downward, with a much smaller ROM.