Anatomical Position & Directional Terms

Anatomic Position Body erect Arms to side Palms forward Head & neck forward

Directional Terms #1 Anterior/Ventral Posterior/Dorsal Medial/Lateral Internal/External Proximal/Distal Superior/Inferior Cranial/Caudal Directional Terms Anterior/Ventral: in front Posterior/Dorsal: in back Medial: toward the midline Lateral: toward the side Internal: within body External: outside the body Proximal: closest to the point of origin Distal: farther from the point of origin Superior: upper or above Inferior: lower Cranial: towards the head Caudal: towards the tailbone

Directional Terms Superior and inferior – toward and away from the head, respectively Anterior and posterior – toward the front and back of the body Medial, lateral, and intermediate – toward the midline, away from the midline, and between a more medial and lateral structure

Directional Terms Proximal and distal – closer to and farther from the origin of the body Superficial and deep – toward and away from the body surface Cranial and caudal – toward the head and toward the tail

Directional Terms Anterior view

Directional Terms Posterior View

Directional Terms Side view or Lateral view

Directional Terms #2 Flexion/Extension Afferent/Efferent Adduction/Abduction Eversion/Inversion Pronation/Supination Deep/Superficial Plantar/Palmar Flexion: decreasing the angle between two bones Extension: increasing the angle between two bones Afferent: carrying toward a center Efferent: carrying away or away from a center Adduction: moving toward the midline Abduction: moving away from the midline Eversion: turning a body part outward Inversion: turning a body part inward Pronation: turning a body part downward Supination: turning a body part upward ( as in shrug shoulders, palms up, “what’s up?”) Deep: away from the body surface, more internal Superficial: toward or at the body surface Plantar: toward the sole of the foot Palmar: toward the palm of the hand

Directional Terms

Body Planes Sagittal – divides the body into right and left parts Midsagittal or medial – sagittal plane that lies on the midline Frontal or coronal – divides the body into anterior and posterior parts Transverse or horizontal (cross section) – divides the body into superior and inferior parts Oblique section – cuts made diagonally

Body Planes Figure 1.8

Body Cavities Dorsal cavity protects the nervous system, and is divided into two subdivisions Cranial cavity is within the skull and encases the brain Vertebral cavity runs within the vertebral column and encases the spinal cord Ventral cavity houses the internal organs (viscera), and is divided into two subdivisions: - Thoracic and Abdominopelvic cavities

Body Cavities Figure 1.9a

Body Cavities Figure 1.9b

Body Cavities Thoracic cavity is subdivided into pleural cavities, the mediastinum, and the pericardial cavity Pleural cavities – each houses a lung Mediastinum – contains the pericardial cavity, and surrounds the remaining thoracic organs Pericardial cavity – encloses the heart

Body Cavities The abdominopelvic cavity is separated from the superior thoracic cavity by the dome-shaped diaphragm It is composed of two subdivisions Abdominal cavity – contains the stomach, intestines, spleen, liver, and other organs Pelvic cavity – lies within the pelvis and contains the bladder, reproductive organs, and rectum

Body Regions Head Neck Thorax Abdominal Posterior Trunk Extremities

Other Body Cavities Oral and digestive – mouth and cavities of the digestive organs Nasal –located within and posterior to the nose Orbital – house the eyes Middle ear – contain bones (ossicles) that transmit sound vibrations Synovial – joint cavities

Abdominopelvic Regions Umbilical Epigastric Hypogastric Right and left iliac or inguinal Right and left lumbar Right and left hypochondriac Figure 1.11a

Organs of the Abdominopelvic Regions Figure 1.11b

Abdominopelvic Quadrants Right upper (RUQ) Left upper (LUQ) Right lower (RLQ) Left lower (LLQ) Figure 1.12

Head Regions #1 Parietal Frontal Occipital Temporal Auricular Buccal Orbital Head Parietal: top of head towards the back and sides Frontal: forehead Occipital: base of skull Temporal: sides of head Auricular: ear Buccal: cheek Orbital: eye socket Mastoid: behind the ear Nasal: bridge of nose Mental: chin Submental: beneath the chin Maxillary: upper jaw Mandibular: lower jaw Zygomatic: cheek bone

Head Regions #2 Mastoid Nasal Mental Submental Maxillary Mandibular Zygomatic

Larynx Trachea Cervical Neck Regions Neck Larynx: front of neck Trachea: front of neck Cervical: back of neck

Thorax Axillary Clavicular Sternal Mammary Costal Scapular Pectoral Deltoid Thorax Axillary: armpit Clavicular: collar bone Sternal: mid-chest Mammary: breast Costal: rib Scapular: shoulder blade Pectoral: chest Deltoid: shoulder area

Posterior Trunk Regions Nuchal Cervical Thoracic Lumbar Sacral Coccyx Gluteal Posterior Trunk Nuchal: back of neck Cervical: neck Thoracic: back of trunk Lumbar: at small of back, lower back, waist area, lateral mid-abdomen, right and left Sacral: pelvis, tailbone area Coccyx: tailbone Gluteal: buttocks

Extremities #1 Brachial Antecubital Olecranon Carpal Phalanges Manual Pollex Extremities Brachial: upper arm Antecubital: front of elbow Olecranon: back of elbow Carpal: wrist Phalanges: fingers, toes Manual: hand Pollex: thumb Femoral: thigh Patellar: front of knee Popliteal: behind the knee Tarsal: ankle Pedal: foot Calcaneal: heel of foot

Extremities #2 Femoral Patellar Popliteal Tarsal Pedal Calcaneal