Anatomical terms Flashcards
Anatomical position
- positions
- planes
- skeletal movements
Superior
Towards head, upper part of body
Inferior
Away from head, lower part of body
Anterior
Front of body
Posterior
Back of body
Lateral
Away from midline, towards sides
Medial
Towards midline
Proximal
Close to
Distal
Far from
What are the sectional planes?
- sagittal
- frontal
- transverse
Sagittal
Vertical plane that passes through the body longitudinally
- divides body into left and right
Frontal
Vertical plane that passes through body side to side
- divides body into front and back
Transverse
Horizontal plane
- divides body into superior and inferior
What is the frontal plane called in a MRI brain scan?
Coronal plane
What are the skeletal movements?
- flexion
- extension
- abduction
- adduction
- circumduction
- lateral rotation
- medial rotation
- lateral flexion
- opposition
- pronation
- supination
Flexion
Decreasing angle of joint
- bending the joint
Extension
Increasing angle of joint
- straightening the joint
Abduction
Moving away from the mid-line of the body
Adduction
Moving towards the mid-line of the body
Circumduction
Moving in a loop
Lateral rotation
Rotating a limb away from the mid-line of the body
Medial rotation
Rotating a limb towards the mid-line of the body
Lateral flexion
Bending the spine to the side
- away from mid-line of the body
Opposition
Movement of the thumb toward the surface of the palm/pads of the fingers
Pronation
Rotating the forearm so that the palm faces down if the forearm is flexed
Supination
Rotating the forearm so that the palm faces up if the forearm is flexed
