Pronation refers to which palm orientation?

• A. Palm down
• B. Palm up
• C. Palm sideways
• D. Palm forward

Answer: (A)

Pronation is the rotation of the forearm that turns the palm to face downward. When the radius crosses over the ulna, the palm ends up pointing toward the floor, which is described as palm down.

If the palm is facing up, that’s supination—the opposite movement. A palm facing sideways would indicate a rotation about a different axis and isn’t the standard description of forearm pronation. Palm forward describes the anatomical position, where the palm faces anteriorly, not during pronation.