Orientation to Human Body Flashcards
Describe the anatomical position
- person stands erect
- feet together
- eyes forward
- palms facing anteriorly
- thumbs pointed away from body (laterally)
- feet flat on the floor
What is the anatomical position?
it is the standard body position called the anatomical reference point
Directional terms are
Describe the positions of a structure relative to other structures or locations in the body
Toward the head
Superior
cephalic
cranial
Away from the head
Inferior
caudal
at the front of the body
anterior
ventral
at the backside of the body
posterior
dorsal
toward the midline of the body
medial
away from midline of body
lateral
between a medial & lateral structure
intermediate
close to the point of attachment of a limb to body trunk
proximal
away from point of attachment of limb to body trunk
distal
toward body surface
superficial
away from body surface
deep
What are regional terms?
They are the many visible landmarks on the surface of the body
helps us be specific when referring to different regions of the body
the vertical line that divides the body into left & right
sagittal plane
line that lies exactly in the midline
median plane
midsagittal plane
line offset from midline
parasagittal
vertical line dividing body into anterior & posterior
frontal plane
coronal plane
line that lies horizontally and divides the body into superior & inferior
transverse plane
horizontal plane
a plane that is any type of angle other than horizontal or vertical angle
oblique plane
protects the fragile nervous system organs
dorsal cavity
houses the brain with the skull bones as boundaries
cranial cavity
contains spinal cord and meninges & formed by the processes of spinal vertebrae
verterbal cavity
