All movements (except rotation) can occur in the wrist joint. This includes adduction (also known as ulna flexion) in which the little finger side of the hand moves toward the body when the arm is in the anatomical position, that is, when the palm faces forward and the hand is alongside the body. Another way to describe this action is to see the little finger side of the hand moving toward the forearm while the hand is kept in line with the forearm.
The opposite of adduction is abduction, also known as radial flexion, in which the thumb side of the hand moves away from the body when the arm is in the anatomical position. In this the thumb side of the hand moves toward the forearm while the hand remains in line with the forearm.
The wrist can also undergo flexion, in which the palm side of the hand moves toward the forearm. The opposite movement is extension-hyperextension, in which the back of the hand moves toward the posterior surface of the forearm. A combination of all these movements produces circumduction. In this movement, the hand turns around so that the fingers circumscribe a circle and the hand a cone. In many respects the wrist joint is analogous to the ankle joint because it consists of more than one joint with different actions taking place in each joint.
