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Anatomical Positions

This document defines anatomical positions and directional terms used to describe the human body. It explains that anatomical position describes the body facing forward with feet together and palms facing forward. It then defines superior, inferior, anterior, posterior, medial, and lateral positions. The document also outlines the three planes (coronal, transverse, sagittal) and axes (sagittal, frontal, vertical) of the body. Finally, it describes various types of movements including flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, rotation, circumduction, pronation, supination, dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, eversion, inversion, protraction, and retraction.

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Anji Joguilon
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229 views18 pages

Anatomical Positions

This document defines anatomical positions and directional terms used to describe the human body. It explains that anatomical position describes the body facing forward with feet together and palms facing forward. It then defines superior, inferior, anterior, posterior, medial, and lateral positions. The document also outlines the three planes (coronal, transverse, sagittal) and axes (sagittal, frontal, vertical) of the body. Finally, it describes various types of movements including flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, rotation, circumduction, pronation, supination, dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, eversion, inversion, protraction, and retraction.

Uploaded by

Anji Joguilon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

ANATOMICAL

POSITIONS
Describe as the body facing
you, feet placed together &
flat on the floor. The head
held erect, arms straight by
the side with palms facing
forward.
Standing, Arms hanging,
palms forward.
DIRECTIONAL TERMS
SUPERIOR
Means the
part is above
another or
closer to the
head.
INFERIOR
Means the
part is below
another or
towards the
feet.
ANTERIOR
Means
towards the
front
E.g.: Eyes
are anterior
to the brain.
POSTERIOR
Means
towards the
back.
E.g.: Pharynx
is posterior
to the oral
cavity.
MEDIAL
Relates to the imaginary midline dividing the body into
equal right and left halves.
E.g.: The nose is medial to the eyes.

LATERAL
Means towards the side of the
respect to the imaginary midline.
E.g.: The ears are lateral to the
eyes
THREE PLANES OF HUMAN ANATOMY
•Coronal Plane: Any vertical plane that
divides the body into anterior and posterior
(belly and back) sections.
•Transverse Plane: Any plane that divides
the body into superior and inferior parts,
roughly perpendicular to the spine.
•Sagittal Plane: Any imaginary plane
parallel to the median plane.
THREE AXIS OF ROTATION
The sagittal axis passes horizontally
from posterior to anterior and is formed
by the intersection of the sagittal and
transverse planes.
The frontal axis passes horizontally
from left to right and is formed by the
intersection of the frontal and transverse
planes.
The vertical axis passes vertically from
inferior to superior and is formed by the
intersection of the sagittal and frontal
planes.
CONCEPT AND ANATOMICAL
TYPES OF MOVEMENT
FLEXION AND EXTENSION
Flexion refers to decreasing a joint angle,
and extension to increasing the joint angle
back to resting anatomical position.
When talking about flexion and extension,
we are usually referring to these
movements as they occur about the coronal
axis, and along the sagittal plane.
ABDUCTION AND ADDUCTION

refer to movements made about


a sagittal axis and along
the coronal plane. Abduction is
moving a body part away from
its resting anatomical position in
the coronal
plane; adduction is returning it to
its normal resting position
(includes ‘hyper adduction’)
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ROTATION
(MEDIAL AND LATERAL ROTATION)

Rotation refers to movements


made about the longitudinal
axis and in the transverse
plane. Internal rotation is
rotating a
joint towards the midline; exter
nal rotation is rotating a
joint away from the midline
CIRCUMDUCTION
Is a compound movement that occurs only at
ball and socket joints, which can
perform multiple movement types
As image 2 shows, it is a combination of:
Flexion and extension, Abduction and adduction
& Rotation
It is described as a circular motion utilizing each
of these movements at different parts of the
circular motion. Given that the shoulder and hip
are the only joints to use circumduction and they
have a relatively ‘fixed’ joint, the movement is
more conical.
PRONATION & SUPINATION
Pronation and supination occur at pivot joints. The most important
example of this is the radio humeral joint and the union of the radius
and ulna through the interosseous membrane.
DORSIFLEXION & PLANTERFLEXION
Eversion refers to bringing the soles of the feet out, so they
are facing away from the midline of the body.
Inversion refers to bringing the soles of the feet in, so they
are facing towards the midline of the body (and each other).
PROTRACTION & RETRACTION

Protraction and retraction


occur in two major regions of
the body – the scapula and the
mandible.
Protraction refers to protruding
or sticking out.
Retraction refers to bringing
together.

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