Anatomy terms by Makayla Perkins _ Student - FuquayVarinaMS

Anatomical position

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 14:36:26 UTC

In this position, the body stands upright, facing forward, with arms at the sides and palms facing forward. The legs are parallel, and the feet are flat on the ground, facing forward. The head is level, and the eyes are directed straight ahead.

Frontal/Coronal Plane

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 14:39:38 UTC

The frontal plane, also known as the coronal plane, is a vertical plane that divides the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) portions. It runs parallel to the front of the body, cutting through from side to side.

Transverse Plane

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 14:42:36 UTC

The transverse plane, also known as the horizontal plane, divides the body into upper (superior) and lower (inferior) parts. It runs parallel to the ground and cuts the body into top and bottom halves.

Midsagittal Plane

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 14:46:06 UTC

The midsagittal plane, also known as the median plane, is a vertical plane that divides the body into equal left and right halves. It runs directly down the center of the body, from the front to the back, and is the reference point for defining symmetry in body structure.

Dorsal and Ventral terms

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 14:50:05 UTC

Dorsal refers to the back or posterior side of the body, typically used to describe structures located toward the back. Ventral refers to the front or anterior side of the body, describing structures situated toward the front.

Superior and Inferior terms

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 14:52:01 UTC

Superior refers to a position that is higher or above another structure in the body. For example, the head is superior to the neck. Inferior refers to a position that is lower or below another structure, such as the stomach being inferior to the chest.

Medial and Lateral terms

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 14:56:59 UTC

Medial refers to a position that is closer to the midline of the body. For example, the nose is medial to the ears. Lateral refers to a position that is farther away from the midline, such as the arms being lateral to the chest.

Prone and supine terms

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 15:00:15 UTC

Prone refers to a body position where a person is lying face down, with the front of the body facing toward the ground. Supine refers to a body position where a person is lying on their back, with the front of the body facing upward. These terms are often used in medical and anatomical contexts to describe body orientation.

Distal and proximal terms

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 15:02:18 UTC

Distal refers to a position that is farther from the point of attachment or origin of a limb or structure. For example, the fingers are distal to the elbow.

Proximal refers to a position that is closer to the point of attachment or origin. For example, the elbow is proximal to the wrist. These terms are commonly used to describe the relative positions of structures along limbs.

Flexion and Extension

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 15:04:40 UTC

Flexion refers to a bending movement that decreases the angle between two body parts. For example, bending the elbow or knee brings the forearm or lower leg closer to the upper arm or thigh, respectively.

Extension refers to a straightening movement that increases the angle between two body parts. For example, straightening the elbow or knee moves the forearm or lower leg away from the upper arm or thigh.

Pronation and supination terms

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 15:07:18 UTC

Pronation refers to the rotation of the forearm or foot so that the palm or sole faces downward or backward. For example, when you turn your palm to face downward, it is pronation.

Supination is the opposite movement, where the forearm or foot rotates so that the palm or sole faces upward or forward. For example, when you turn your palm to face upward, it is supination.

Elevation and Depression terms

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 15:09:56 UTC

Elevation refers to the movement of a body part upward. For example, raising the shoulders toward the ears (as in shrugging) is an elevation of the scapulae.

Depression refers to the movement of a body part downward. For example, lowering the shoulders back down after a shrug is depression of the scapulae.

Internal vs External Rotations

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 15:12:24 UTC

Internal rotation refers to the rotation of a body part toward the midline of the body. For example, rotating the shoulder so that the palm faces backward is internal rotation of the shoulder.

External rotation refers to the rotation of a body part away from the midline of the body. For example, rotating the shoulder so that the palm faces forward is external rotation of the shoulder.

Circumduction meaning

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 15:14:01 UTC

Circumduction is a circular or conical motion of a body part, typically a limb, that combines flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction. This movement allows the distal end of the limb to move in a circular pattern while the proximal end remains relatively stationary. For example, moving the arm in a circle at the shoulder joint is circumduction.

Plantarflexion and Dorsiflexion terms

mjperkins2 — 2025-02-11 15:16:46 UTC

Plantarflexion refers to the movement of the foot where the toes point downward, away from the shin. This movement occurs at the ankle joint, such as when you stand on your toes or push the gas pedal in a car.

Dorsiflexion refers to the movement of the foot where the toes point upward, toward the shin. This movement occurs when you lift the front of your foot, such as when walking or standing with heels raised.