Anatomical Terminology Flashcards
What is the anatomical body position
Acts as a point of reference for all movements:
- standing upright with feet together
- mouth is closed
- face looks forward
- hands by the side
- fingers are straight
- palms of the hands face forward
- thumbs point away from the body
- toes point forward
What is the anatomical nomenclature
- Anatomical planes
- Regional terms
- Directional terms
What is a plane
An imaginary flat surface running through the body
What are the four anatomical body planes
- Cornoal plane
- Sagittal plane
- Midsagittal (median) plane
- Transverse plane
What is the coronal plane
- Oriented vertically
- Divides the body into anterior and posterior parts
What is the sagittal plane
- Orientated vertically
- Divides the body into right and left parts
What is the midsagittal plane
Lies exactly in the midline vertically
What is the midline of the body
An imaginary vertical line dividing the body equally
What is the parasaggital plane
- Para=near
- A sagittal plane that lies offset from the midline
What is the transverse (horizontal) plane
- Oriented horizontally
- Divides the body into superior and inferior parts
What are the regional terms
Names of specific body areas (e.g. thorax, abdomen, back)
What are the body divisions
- Axial regions
- Appendicular region
What are the axial regions
Forms the main axis of the body, e.g.
- Head
- Neck
- Trunk
What makes up the axial skeleton
- Skull
- Thoracic cage
- Vertebral column
What is the appendicular region
Consists of the limbs
What makes up the appendicular skeleton
- Upper limb bones
- Lower limb bones
What are directional terms
Allow us to precisley explain where one structure lies in relation to another
What are the most common directional terms used
- Superior/inferior
- Medial/lateral
- Anterior/posterior
- Cranial/caudal
- Superficial/deep
What is superior and an example
- Upper part of a structure or the body; ABOVE
- E.g. the head is superior to the neck
What is inferior and an example
- Toward the lower part of the body; BELOW
- E.g. the thorax is inferior to the neck
What is medial and an example
- Toward or at the midline of the body; ON THE INNER SIDE OF
- E.g. the heart is medial to the lungs
What is lateral and an example
- Away from the midline of the body; ON THE OUTER SIDE OF
- E.g. the lungs lie lateral to the heart
What is ipsilateral and an example
- On the same side
- E.g. the right upper limb and right upper limb are ipsilateral
What is contralateral and an example
- On opposite sites
- E.g. the right upper limb and left lower limb are contralateral
What is anterior (ventral) and an example
- Toward or at the front of the body; IN FRONT OF
- E.g. the sternum is anterior to the heart
What is posterior (dorsal) and an example
- Toward or at the back of the body; BEHIND
- E.g. the heart is posterior to the sternum
Are the terms anterior and ventral & posterior and dorsal synonymous in humans
Yes, but not in four-legged animals
What is cranial
Toward the head end
What is caudal
Away from the head end; refers to the tail (inferior)
What is superficial (external) and an example
- Toward or at the body surface
- E.g. the skin is superficial to the muscles
What is deep (internal) and an example
- Away from the body surface; more internal
- E.g. the muscles are deep to the skin
What is proximal and an example
- Closer to the origin of the body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk
- E.g. the forearm is proximal to the hand
What is distal and an example
- Farther from the origin of a body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk
- E.g. the hands is distal to the forearm// the forearm is distal to the arm
What is flexion and examples
- Decreases the angle between two bones
- E.g. trunk, neck, arm, hip, finger and leg flexions
What is extension and examples
- Increases the angle between two bones
- E.g. trunk, neck, finger, arm and leg extensions
What is medial rotation
Rotating toward the medial plane
What is lateral rotation
Rotating away from the medial plane
What is circumduction
Moving a limb or finger so that it describes a cone in space
What are some examples of circumduction
- Hip circumduction
- Shoulder circumduction
- Wrist/hand circumduction
- Thumb circumduction
- Finger circumduction
- Ankle/foot circumduction
- Toe circumduction
- Head circumduction
What is adduction and examples
- Moving a limb towards the body midline
- E.g. finger and wrist adduction
What is abduction and examples
- Moving a limb away from the body midline
- E.g. finger and wrist abduction
What is thumb opposition
Moving the thumb to touch the tips of the other fingers
What is dorsiflexion
Lifting the foot or hand (superiorly)
What is dorsiflexion of the foot
Lifting the foot so its superior (dorsum) surface approaches the leg
What is dorsiflexion of the hand
- Same as hand extension
- Lifting the hand so its dorsum approaches the forearm
What is plantar flexion
Depressing the foot elevating the heel
What is eversion
Turning the sole of the foot laterally (eversion sprains)
What is inversion
Turning the sole of the foot medially (inversion sprains)
What makes up the upper limb from proximal (upper end) to distal (lower end)
- Neck
- Shoulder
- Arm
- Forearm
- Hand
What is the palmer surface and dorsum of the hand
- Palmer (palm) = anterior
- Dorsum = posterior
What is supination
Rotation of forearm resulting in the palm of the hand facing anteriorly
What is pronation
Rotation of forearm resulting in the palm of the hand facing posteriorly
What is protraction
Moving a body part in the anterior direction e.g. of the mandible
What is retraction
Moving a body part in the posterior direction e.g. of the mandible
What is elevation
Lifting a body part superiorly e.g. of shoulders or mandible
What is depression
Moving a body part inferiorly e.g. of the shoulders or mandible
