Pronation (subtalar joint): a combination of dorsiflexion, eversion, and abduction Rotation, horizontal abduction and adduction, and forearm supination and pronation Other joint actions to know: Describe the Following Segmental Actions:įlexion, extension, hyperextension, dorsiflexion, and plantar flexionĪdduction, abduction, radial deviation, ulnar deviation, eversion, inversion, and lateral flexion Except for the ankle, when the major joints of the body are in anatomical position, they can be described as neutral, or zero degrees.ĥ. Describe and Understand the Following Planes and Corresponding Axes:įrontal Plane-Sagittal AxisTransverse Plane-Longitudinal AxisThere is one cardinal plane (each cardinal plane bisects the entire body, at the whole-body center of mass), and there is an infinite number of secondary planes (these are each parallel to the cardinal plane) that can be used to describe human motion.Īnatomical position (see illustration above) is the standard reference position for the body when describing locations joint position, or the movements of limbs and/or other anatomical structures. Understand the Following Spatial and Directional Terminology:Īnterior/PosteriorSuperior/Inferior Medial/LateralProximal/Distalģ. If you answered B) anterosuperior, you’re right! Remember, the anterior is the front view and the superior is the top view-combine the two and you’ve got yourself a bird’s-eye view of the front of the body.Īnd there you have it: a crash course in anatomical position and directional terms.The bones you should be familiar with include: BonesĪdditionally, the muscles and muscle functions you should know are circled on this muscles linkĢ. Don’t be afraid to refer to the chart before you answer. With me so far? No? Okay, let’s do a practice one. For example, a posterosuperior view combines the posterior and superior, giving us a view in which we are looking down at the back of the body, like so: In many instances, these terms can be paired. Toward the head/upper part of a structure (bird’s-eye view, looking down)Īway from the head/lower part of a structure (bottom view, looking up)įarther from the origination of a structure Here are some commonly used directional terms:Īt or near the front of the body (front view)Īt or near the back of the body (back view)Īn imaginary vertical line that divides the body equally (right down the middle) Like you use the cardinal directions to explain the location of certain regions (north, northwest, southeast, etc.), you use directional terms to describe the regions of the body. Imagine that when you’re studying a (correctly anatomically positioned) body you’re looking at a map.
Up, Down, Side-to-Side: Directional Terms If the anatomical position is placed face-up, it is in the supine position. If the anatomical position is placed face-down, it is in the prone position. If not, it will be by the time you’re through your first two weeks of A&P. This stance should be very familiar to you. In my college A&P text, right there in the first few pages, every body system was shown in anatomical position. You’ve probably seen all sorts of pictures of the body in your A&P textbooks that look like this. Image captured in AR using Human Anatomy Atlas.
The upper limbs are at the body’s sides with the palms facing forward. In the anatomical position, the body is upright, directly facing the observer, feet flat and directed forward. But there’s a reason our 3D body models (I affectionately call them Brenda and Paul) look stiff as a board-it’s the position in which we study the body.Īnatomical position is the description of any region or part of the body in a specific stance. How many of you have used our apps or at least seen the models and thought, “Boy, that body looks awfully stiff in that one position all the time”? Position Is Everything: Anatomical Position
ANATOMICAL POSITION DOWNLOAD
You can also download all this content (and more!) in our free Planes & Positions eBook. If you want to learn about planes and cavities, check out part two. Most A&P courses begin with positions and directionals.
ANATOMICAL POSITION HOW TO
For those of you who have taken an A&P course (or are taking one right now), you know that before you get to learning about the body you need to learn how to talk about the body.