Anatomical Terms Flashcards
Sagittal plane
Divides body into left and right sections.
Coronal plane
Divides body into forwards and backwards sections; imagine as if you’re putting on a crown.
Transverse/horizontal/axial plane
Divides head section from feet section; as if you’re chopping the body with an axe.
Anterior
Nearer the front-facing part of body.
Posterior
Nearer the back or rear end of the body.
Medial
Closer to the midline (middle) of the body.
Lateral
Further away from the midline (middle) of the body.
Superior
Closer to the top of the head, higher up in the body.
Inferior
Closer to the feet, further down in the body.
Rostral
Near the front end of the body; used more so in relation to the embryo or the brain. (Closer to the nasal region).
Dorsal
Near the spinal portion of the body; used more so in relation to the embryo and the brain.
Cordal
Closer to the bottom or tail end of the body; used more so in relation to the embryo and the brain. (Away from the head)
Ventral
Near the front or towards the front of the body; used more so in relation to the embryo and the brain.
Distal
Farther from the trunk or the point of origin eg the wrist is distal to the elbow.
Proximal
Nearer to the trunk or point of origin eg the elbow is proximal to the wrist, and the proximal part of an artery is its beginning.
Superficial
Nearer to the surface eg the muscles of the arm are superficial to its bone (humerus).
Intermediate
Between a superficial and a deep structure eg the biceps muscle is intermediate between the skin and the humerus.
Deep
Farther from the surface eg the humerus is deep to the arm muscles.
Radial
Aka lateral - refers to structures within the arm on the side of the radius bone.
Ulnar
Aka medial - refers to structures within the arm on the side of the ulna bone.
Ipsilateral
Structures on the same side.
Contralateral
Structures on the opposite sides.
Flexion; which plane?
Decreasing a joint angle; occurs in the sagittal plane.
Extension; which plane?
Increasing the joint angle - returning it back to its resting anatomical position; occurs in the sagittal plane.
Abduction; which plane?
Takes structures away from the midline. Occurs in the coronal plane.
Adduction; which plane?
Brings structures back towards the midline, however it is possible to adduct beyond the midline. Occurs in the coronal plane.
Circumduction
A combination of flexion, extension, abduction and adduction; a compound motion. Eg rotating your arms or pointing and rotating your feet and legs.
Lateral rotation
Rotation of limb away from midline, usually occurring in the shoulder or hip joints.
Medial rotation
Rotation of limb towards midline, usually occurring in the shoulder or hip joints.
Pronation
Rotational movement of the forearm that results in the palm facing posteriorly (palm facing down); prone refers to laying on your front.
Supination
Rotational movement of the forearm that results in the palm facing anteriorly (palm facing up); supine refers to laying on your back.
Opposition
The thumb movement that brings the tip of the thumb in contact with the tip of a finger eg the ‘ok’ hand signal.
Involves flexion and abduction.
Reposition
Opposite of opposition; bringing the thumb back to the anatomical position from the tip of the thumb touching the tip of a finger.
Involves extension and adduction.
Palmar abduction/adduction; which plane?
Aka thumb abduction/adduction; movement of thumb in the sagittal plane, 90 degrees perpendicular of the palm and rest of the hand.
Radial abduction/adduction; which plane?
Aka thumb extension/flexion; movement of thumb in the coronal plane, in line with the palm and rest of the hand.
Dorsiflexion; which plane?
Flexion of the foot at the ankle where the foot is raised towards the shin in the sagittal plane.
(Foot points towards the dorsal fins on the body.)
Plantarflexion; which plane?
Extension of the foot at the ankle where the foot moves away from the shin in the sagittal plane.
(Foot points towards the plants in the ground.)
Eversion
Abduction of foot at ankle in the coronal plane.
Inversion
Adduction of foot at ankle in the coronal plane.
Palmar
Relating to the palm.
Plantar
Relating to the sole of the foot.
How to define a term of movement?
Movements occur:
- at joints
- in a given plane
- with reference to the anatomical position
