anatomy terminology. body regions axial region (down midline of body) appendicular region (limbs)

Anatomy Terminology

Body Regions

Axial Region (down midline of body) Appendicular Region (limbs)

REGIONS OF THE BODY

1. Axial Region (Goes down midline of the body)– a) Head– b) Neck– c) Trunk (has 3 parts)

1) Thorax (chest area). Above diaphragm. Contains heart and lungs.– Pectoral Region (chest)– Costal ( rib) margin

2) Abdomen (not called the stomach!). Contains the digestive organs

Lumbar region (low back)• Gluteal region (buttocks)

3) Pelvis (area that would be covered by brief underwear) Contains urinary and reproductive organs

Inguinal region (Groin)

REGIONS OF THE BODY

2. Appendicular Region (limbs) a) Upper Limbs

1) Axilla (armpit)2) Arm (Brachium): shoulder to elbow

Antecubital fossa (inside of elbow, where blood is drawn)3) Forearm (elbow to wrist). Don’t confuse with arm!4) Wrist5) Hand: 4 fingers with 3 phalanges each; thumb with 2 phalanges;

Pollicis: ThumbPalmar surface: Palm

REGIONS OF THE BODY

2. Appendicular Region (limbs) b) Lower Limbs

1) Thigh (hip to knee). Don’t confuse with leg!2) Leg (knee to ankle).

Calf (back of the leg)Popliteal region (behind knee)Genu: the knee itself

3) Ankle4) Foot: 5 digits

Hallux: big toePlantar surface: sole of foot

Body Cavities

Figure 1.8a

Body Cavities

Figure 1.8b

Regional Terms (not on the quiz or test)

Figure 1.4a

Figure 1.4b

Regional Terms (not on the quiz or test)

Anatomical Position

The body standing erect, facing forward, feet together, toes pointed anteriorly, hands at one’s side, fingers pointing inferiorly, and palms facing forward.

Once the body is in this position (or imagined to be in this position,) the positional terms can be used correctly.

Anatomical Position

Figure 1.3

Anatomical PositionThe person is standing up straightThe palms face anteriorlyThe knees, elbow, and neck are straight (not bent)The toes point anteriorly, but the fingers point inferiorly

Left and Right: yours or the patient’s?

Positional Terms

These are terms used to describe the position of certain structures on the body.

Note: These are “relative terms.” This means that these words are usually used in relating the position of one body structure to another. You can’t say, “He is shorter”. You have to say, “He is shorter than John”.

Incorrect: the nose is medial Correct: the nose is medial to the ears

Positional Terms

Anterior (Ventral)Posterior (Dorsal)

SuperiorInferior

MedialLateral

SuperficialDeep

ProximalDistal

SupineProne

Positional Terms

Anterior/Ventral: towards the front of the body (includes palms and soles)

Posterior/Dorsal: towards the back of the body Superior: towards the head Inferior: towards the feet Medial (NOT MIDDLE): towards the midline of body Lateral: away from midline Varus: inward angulation of the distal segment of a bone or joint. Valgus: outward angulation of the distal segment of a bone or

joint.

Positional Terms

Superficial: Toward the external environment Deep: Towards the inner body Proximal: towards the heart Distal: away from the heart Supine: Laying on one’s back Prone: Laying on one’s stomach

Positional Terms

Positional Terms

(Skip)

Positional Terms

Body Planes

• Frontal (Coronal)• Sagittal• Transverse

Sagittal plane

Para-Sagittal plane

Body Planes and Sections• Frontal (coronal) plane

– Lies vertically and divides body or organ into anterior and posterior parts

• Sagittal plane– Divides right from left side of body or organ

• Midsagittal (median) plane– Specific sagittal plane that lies vertically in the midline

and divides body into EQUAL right and left sides • Parasagittal plane

– Specific sagittal plane that lies vertically in the midline and divides body into UNEQUAL right and left sides

• Transverse plane • Divides body or organ into superior-inferior parts

Body Planes and Sections

Figure 1.5

Banana Sectioned into Planes

Transverse plane

Sagittal plane

Frontal (coronal) plane

Varus - ValgusGenu = Knee

Genu Valgum Genu Varus

Varus - Valgus• Coxa = hip

Hallux Abducto-Valgus

Movement Terms

Flexion: to decrease the angle of a joint

Extension: to increase the angle of a joint, returning it to anatomical position

Hyperextension: extension beyond anatomical position

In the foot, there are special terms used instead of flexion/extension:

Dorsiflexion: flexion of the ankle joint; to raise the toes up in the air. When you stand on your heels with your toes up in the air, you are dorsiflexing your ankle joints.

Plantarflexion: extension of the ankle joint; to point the toes downward. When you stand on your toes, you are plantarflexing your ankle joints.

Flexion and Extension

Flexion: to decrease the angle of a jointExtension: to increase the angle of a joint, returning it to anatomical positionHyperextension: extension beyond anatomical position

Flexion and Extension

Flexion: to decrease the angle of a jointExtension: to increase the angle of a joint, returning it to anatomical positionHyperextension: extension beyond anatomical position

Flexion, Extension, Hyperextension

ExtensionHyperextension

Movement Terms

Internal Rotation (or medial rotation): to rotate in the transverse plane toward the midline of the body

External Rotation (or Lateral Rotation): to rotate in the transverse plane away from the midline of the body.

These two terms are usually used to describe motions of the shoulder or hips.

Internal Rotation External Rotation

Movement Terms

Abduction: to move a body part away from the midline of the body

Adduction: to move a body part toward the midline of the body

Circumduction: to move a body part in a circle

Rotation: to pivot a body part around an axis, as in shaking the head “no”

Abduction, Adduction, Circumduction

Movement Terms

Inversion: to rotate the palms or soles in the frontal plane toward the midline of the body.

Eversion: to rotate the palms or soles in the frontal plane away from the midline of the body.

You invert and evert your hands, but the bones of the ankle don’t move in a single plane. Rather, they move in three planes, so that motion is more properly called supination and pronation.

Movements of the Hand or Foot Only

Supination and Pronation are movements in three planes.

Supination (tri-plane movement)– Inversion– Adduction– Dorsiflexion (or Flexion in hands)

Pronation (tri-plane movement)– Eversion– Abduction– Plantarflexion (or Extension in hands)

Need more explanation?

The hands are able to invert and evert. To invert, start in anatomical position, and move the palms so they face each other. To evert, move the palms so the backs of the hands face each other. These movements occur in one plane only....the frontal plane.

The hands are also able to pronate and supinate. To supinate is like gathering a scoopful of snow from a table in front of you and cupping the snow in your hand to make a snowball. Another example is to pretend there is a deck of cards, face down, on the table in front of you, and you reach out, grab a card and pull it towards you while flipping it so you can see the face of the card.  To pronate, take that imaginary card in the palm of your hand and put it back, face down, on the table. This scooping motion occurs in three planes.

Need more explanation?

People who do not understand biomechanics (including some doctors and the authors of many anatomy books!) will state that the feet can pronate/supinate and invert/evert, and that "pronation/supination" means the same thing as "inversion/eversion" and that they can be used interchangeably. That is incorrect.

The feet can pronate/supinate, but they cannot invert/evert without tearing a ligament because the subtalar joint is not shaped to strictly invert/evert in a single plane. When you try to invert/evert the foot, you will actually be moving the foot in three planes at the same time, more like a scooping motion, like drawing a semi-circle in the air with your foot. Therefore, the correct term for this motion of the foot is pronation/supination. 

Need more explanation?

 If you examine this scooping movement of pronation/supination carefully, you will see that this movement occurs in three planes, whereas inversion/eversion is movement in one plane only:

Pronation Supination

Pronation and Supination

PronationSupination

Gliding Motion

Common Confusion of POSITIONS vs. MOVEMENTS

Prone: a POSITION, not a movement; body is lying face down. Pronation: a MOVEMENT; when the palm is turned downward (in

Anatomical Position, the palm will face posterior). The foot can also be pronated; the sole turns laterally away from the body. Pronation of the foot is a tri-plane movement of plantarflexion, abduction, and eversion.

Supine: a POSITION, not a movement; body is laying on the back. Supination: a MOVEMENT; when the palm is turned upward, like

holding a bowl of soup (in Anatomical Position, the palm will face anterior). The foot can also be supinated; the sole turns medially towards the body. Supination of the foot is a tri-plane movement of dorsiflexion, adduction, and inversion.

Movement Terms

Protraction – to project a body part anteriorly, such as the shoulders or jaw

Retraction – to pull a body part posteriorly

Movement Terms

Elevation – lifting a body part superiorly, such as shoulders or jaw.

Depression – lowering a body part inferiorly

Movement Terms

Opposition – movement of the thumb to touch the tips of other fingers

Range Of Motion

Range Of Motion (Rom) – The normal range of movement of any body joint.

Range of motion also refers to exercises designed to maintain this range and prevent contractures.  

Active Range Of Motion– is the range through which a joint can move

(typically angular, in one degree of freedom), without assistance or resistance.

Passive ROM– is the range through which a joint can be moved

by an external force (e.g., applied by a therapist).

Regional Terminology

Thorax– Pectoral Region– Costal = rib

Abdomen Pelvis

– Inguinal (Groin)

Lumbar region Gluteal region Axilla (armpit)

Upper Extremity Arm (Brachium)

Cubital fossa Forearm Hand

Palmar surface of hand

Lower Extremity Thigh Leg (Calf in back)

Popliteal region (behind knee)

Foot Plantar surface of foot

Joint Abbreviations

MPJ: Metacarpal (or metatarsal) phalangeal joint

Joint Abbreviations

IPJ: Interphalangeal joint– DIPJ is the distal IPJ– PIPJ is the proximal IPJ

NOTE: There is only one joint in the thumb, so it is just called the IPJ

PIPJ

IPJ

DIPJ

Anterior-Posterior X-ray (AP view)

X-ray beam passes from anterior to posterior.

Anterior-Posterior X-ray (AP view)

X-ray beam passes from anterior to posterior.

Lateral X-ray (Lat view)

X-ray beam passes from medial to lateral

Lateral X-ray (Lat view)

X-ray beam passes from medial to lateral

Oblique X-ray

Beam enters at 45° angle; good for identifying fractures.