Anatomical Position Flashcards
appendage
A limb of the body.
supine
Lying on its back, reclined.
anatomical position:
The standard position in which the body is standing with feet together, arms to the side, anddd head, eyes, and palms facing forward.
Proximal
Proximal refers to a point closer to the reference point `
When describing appendages, the proximal end of the appendage connects the appendage to the body,
Proximal and Distal describe one point relative to another.
Distal
distal refers to a point farther away.
When describing appendages, the distal end is away from the body.
Proximal and Distal describe one point relative to another.
Superior
Superior and inferior (cranial and caudal) are used when referring to parts of the body which are toward an end of the body.
Superior structures are toward the head (cranial)
Inferior
Superior and inferior (cranial and caudal) are used when referring to parts of the body which are toward an end of the body.
inferior (caudal) structures are toward the feet.
lateral
Used to describe anything closer to the sids of the body (toward the arms, in the standard anatomical position)
medial
used to describe anything toward the middle of the body
deep
refers to structures closer to the inferior center of the body. for example bones in an appendage are located deeper than the muscles
superficial
is used to describe structures that are closer to the exterior ssurface of the body. For example, the outer layers of skin are superficial to deeper layers of skin.
anterior and posterior
Anterior and posterior are sometimes used in place of superior and inferior, respectively.
These words are used more often for animal anatomy and rarely and only with very specific meaning in human anatomy.
Anterior refers to the side of the structure facing up in the standard anatomical position while posterior refers to the bottom side.
dorsal and ventral
Dorsal and ventral are sometimes used in place of anterior and posterior, respectively.
Dorsal means the back side or upper side,
ventral means the frontal or lower side.
coronal plane
A coronal or frontal plane divides the body into dorsal and ventral (back and front, or posterior and anterior) portions.
transverse plane
A transverse plane, also known as an axial plane or cross-section, divides the body into cranial and caudal (head and tail) portions.