Anatomical Directions And Planes Flashcards
Higher level Anatomical regions
Head, neck, torso (thorax, abdomen and pelvis), upper limb, lower limb
Frontal plane
Splits anterior vs posterior (front vs back)
Median plane
Right vs left that goes directly through midline of body
Sagittal plane
Right vs left but not down the exact middle of body
Transverse (axial, cross) plane
Superior vs inferior (top vs bottom)
Standard Anatomical position
Standing, feet parallel, facing anterior (including head, palmer surfaces of hands, toes)
Superior/cranial
Nearer to head/cranium; ex: the neck is superior to the thirax
Inferior/caudal
Nearer to the sole of the foot
Anterior/ventral
Towards the front surface (ex: the nose is anterior to the ear)
Posterior/dorsal
Towards the back surface
Superficial
Towards the surface
Deep
Towards the center (ex: the lungs are deep to the thoracic wall)
Medial
Towards the median plane of the body (ex: the heart is medial to the lungs)
Lateral
Away from the median plane
Proximal
Towards the trunk or point of origin