The Language of A+P

Question 1

Anatomical Position

Answer 1

-body is standing upright
-feet flat on the floor and slightly apart
-upper limbs at the side of the trunk
-palms facing forwards.

Question 2

superior

Answer 2

towards the head or upper part of a structure; above

Question 3

Inferior

Answer 3

away from the head or towards a lower part of structure; below

Question 4

anterior (or ventral)

Answer 4

towards or at the front of the body

Question 5

posterior (or dorsal)

Answer 5

towards or at the back of the body

Question 6

medial

Answer 6

towards or at the midline of the body

Question 7

lateral

Answer 7

away from the midline of the body

Question 8

superficial

Answer 8

towards or at the body surface

Question 9

deep

Answer 9

away from the body surface

Question 10

proximal

Answer 10

closer to the attachment of a limb to a body trunk

Question 11

distal

Answer 11

further from the attachment of the limb to the body trunk

Question 12

axial part

Answer 12

includes the head, neck and trunk

Question 13

appendicular part

Answer 13

upper and lower limbs

Question 14

Dorsal Body Cavity

Answer 14

• cranial cavity, which is located within the skull and surrounds the brain.
• vertebral cavity, which is located within the vertebral column and surrounds the spinal cord.

Question 15

Ventral Body Cavity

Answer 15

• thoracic cavity, which is surrounded by the ribs, sternum (breastbone) and muscles of the chest, and contains the heart, lungs, oesophagus and trachea. Within the thoracic cavity, two pleural cavities surround the lungs, the pericardial cavity which surrounds the heart and the superior mediastinum surrounds the oesophagus and trachea.
• abdominopelvic cavity, which is further subdivided into an abdominal cavity which contains the stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys and intestines and a pelvic cavity which contains the bladder, rectum and some reproductive organs.

Question 16

sagittal plane

Answer 16

vertical plane that divides the body or body part into left and right portions.

Question 17

frontal plane (a.k.a. coronal plane)

Answer 17

a vertical plane that divides the body or body part into anterior and posterior portions.

Question 18

transverse plane

Answer 18

a horizontal plane that divides the body or body part into superior and inferior portions.

Question 19

flexion

Answer 19

a movement that decreases the angle of a joint

Question 20

extension

Answer 20

a movement that increases the angle of a joint

Question 21

elevation

Answer 21

an upward movement of a body part

Question 22

depression

Answer 22

a downward movement of a body part

Question 23

abduction

Answer 23

movement of a body part away from the midline of the body

Question 24

adduction

Answer 24

movement of a body part towards the midline of the body

Question 25

circumduction

Answer 25

the movement of the distal end of a limb in a circle

Question 26

rotation

Answer 26

movement of a bone around its own longitudinal axis

Question 27

protraction

Answer 27

movement of a body part anteriorly

Question 28

retraction

Answer 28

movement of a body part posteriorly

Question 29

supination

Answer 29

movement of the forearm so the palm faces forwards or upwards

Question 30

pronation

Answer 30

movement of the forearm so the palm faces backwards or downwards