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Anatomical Position

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Anatomical Position

body erect feet together arms hanging at

sides palms facing

forward

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Directional Terms

superior inferior anterior posterior medial lateral intermediate proximal

ipsilateral contralateral distal superficial deep parietal visceral

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Superior

towards the head upper part of structure above Examples:

- forehead is superior to the nose

- lips are superior to the chin

- heart is superior to the liver

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Inferior

away from head end toward lower region of structure or body Examples:

- navel is inferior to the breastbone

- knee is inferior to the hip

- stomach is inferior to the lungs

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Anterior

towards the front in front of Examples:

- breast bone is anterior to the spine

- front teeth are anterior to the back teeth

- sternum is anterior to the heart

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Posterior

toward or at the back behind Examples

- heart is posterior to the sternum

- molars are posterior to the front or anterior teeth

- esophagus is posterior to the trachea

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Medial

towards the midline inner side of Examples:

- head is medial to the arm

- ulna is on the medial side of the forearm

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Lateral

away from the midline towards the side Examples:

- eye is lateral to the bridge of the nose

- lungs are lateral to the heart

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Intermediate

between a more medial and more lateral structure

Examples:

- collar bone is intermediate between the breast bone and the shoulder

- ring finger is intermediate between the little and middle fingers

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Proximal

close to origin or point of attachment sides next to each other Examples:

- elbow is proximal to the wrist (closer to the shoulder than that the wrist)

- humerus is proximal to the radius

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Ipsilateral

on same side of the body Examples:

- ring finger is ipsilsteral to the little or middle fingers

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Contralateral

on the opposite side of the body Examples:

- ascending and descending colons of the large intestine are contralateral

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Distal

farthest from origin Examples:

- knee is distal to thigh

- wrist is distal to shoulder

- phalanges are distal to the carpals (wrist bones)

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Superficial

towards the surface Examples:

- skin is superficial to the skeleton

- muscles of the thoracic wall are superficial to the lungs

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Deep

more internal Examples:

- heart is deep in relation to the skin

- nasal sinuses are deep in relation to the nose

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Parietal

pertaining to or forming the outer wall of a body cavity

Example:

- parietal pleura forms the outer layer of the pleural sacs that surround the lungs

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Visceral

pertaining to the covering of an organ within the ventral body cavity

Example:

- visceral pleura forms the inner layer of the pleural sacs and covers the external surface of the lungs

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Body Planes

imaginary lines used to divide body into sections

- sagittal

- mid-sagittal

- frontal

- transverse

- oblique

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Sagittal

vertical plane lengthwise longitudinal divides the body

into right and left portions

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Mid-sagittal

midline divides the body

into equal right and left portions

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Frontal(coronal)

right angles to sagittal plane

divides the body into anterior and posterior portions

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Transverse(horizontal)

divides the body into superior and inferior regions

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Oblique

an oblique plane passes at an angle between transverse and frontal planes or between transverse and sagittal planes