Anatomical terminology

Question 1

What is the anatomical position?

Answer 1

The erect or standing position where the face is forward and their palms facing forward. (Zero position)

Question 2

What are the three planes called?

Answer 2

Median / sagittal plane
Frontal / coronal plane
Transverse / horizontal plane

Question 3

How is the sagittal plane described?

Answer 3

Cuts a vertical line through the body from the middle of the head down through the nose, through the sternum and through the pelvis.
Anterior to a posterior direction - front to back

Question 4

Example of sagittal plane?

Answer 4

When lunging forward

Question 5

What is the frontal plane?

Answer 5

extends from one side of the body to the other and cuts through the ears, shoulders and hips and legs from the sides.
Divides the body into a frontal or anterior part and a back or posterior part.

Question 6

Example of frontal plane

Answer 6

When completing a lateral dumbbell raise or raise your arm out to the side

Question 7

What is the transverse plane?

Answer 7

Divides body from top to bottom

Question 8

What is the upper part of the transverse plane called?
What type of movement?

Answer 8

Cranial portion
Movement up towards the head

Question 9

What is the lower part of the transverse plane called?

Answer 9

Caudal portion
IS a flexion or downward movement

Question 10

When does a transverse plane come into play?

Answer 10

When the body twists the trunk as it rotates to pass a rugby ball for example.

Question 11

What is the anterior view?

Answer 11

View of the anatomical position from the front view

Question 12

Posterior view?

Answer 12

The view from behind the body. You will observe the back from a posterior view

Question 13

Inferior view?

Answer 13

The direction away from the head or towards the lowest part of the body

Question 14

Superior view?

Answer 14

The direction towards the head or upper part of the body

Question 15

Medial?

Answer 15

The direction towards the midline of the body or the middle of the body. The midline is an imaginary line from the head through the sternum running down to the ground and between the legs

Question 16

Lateral?

Answer 16

This is the direction away from the midline of the body or the side of the body. The lateral aspect of the knee is the outside of the knee.

Question 17

Proximal?

Answer 17

Structure is proximal when it is close to the point of attachment to the body. For example the shoulder is proximal to someone

Question 18

Distal?

Answer 18

A structure is distal when it is farther away from the centre of the body or from the point of attachment to the torso. For example the hand is distal to the body while the shoulder is proximal

Question 19

Superficial?

Answer 19

This means close to or at the body surface

Question 20

Deep

Answer 20

This means away from the surface or more internal in the body. Some muscles are superficial while others like the transverses abdominals are deep.

Question 21

Ipsilateral?

Answer 21

On the same side of the body, that is, the right hand is ipsilateral to the right foot.

Question 22

Contralateral?

Answer 22

On the opposite side of the body, that is, the right hand is contralateral to the left foot.

Question 23

What are the two different types of movement?

Answer 23

Major and minor movements and they have individual aspects of each of them

Question 24

What is flexion?

Answer 24

Any movement about a joint which brings the joints closer together is known as flexion.
Example, when an individual tries to touch their toes, it’s demonstrating flexion of the trunk. Due to the trunk coming closer to the lower body

Question 25

What is extension?

Answer 25

Opposite of flexion so can consider it to be the separation of two levers. Getting further away. Can also be defined as the movement that returns a body segment to the anatomical position from a position of flexion.

Question 26

What is dorsiflexion?

Answer 26

The motion of brining the foot towards the lower leg, or pointing the toes up towards the shin bone.

Question 27

What is planter flexion?

Answer 27

The motion of bringing the foot away from the lower leg, or pointing the toes towards the ground

Question 28

What is adduction?

Answer 28

Is the moving of the lever or bone towards the mid line of the body. For example, when the athlete sits in a straddle position, legs apart, adduction occurs when the legs are drawn in together.

Question 29

What is abduction?

Answer 29

When the levers of the body are drawn away from the body midline. This is the opposite of adduction. The dumbbell lateral raise is an abduction movement around the shoulder joint as the hand holding the dumbbell is abducting away from the midline

Question 30

What is hyperextension?

Answer 30

The term used to describe the unnatural or excessive movement or position beyond a normal extension about a joint. For example, in some individuals the knees are hyperextended and so have an appearance when viewed for the side of a 'C' shape.

Question 31

What is circumduction?

Answer 31

The action that best illustrated when the athlete does shoulder circling with a long arm. This includes the common motions about a joint such as flexion, abduction, extension, adduction.

Question 32

What is supination?

Answer 32

This is an action that occurs when, for example, the palm of the hand is turned upwards. Lying in the supine position means that an individual is lying face up.

Question 33

What is pronation?

Answer 33

This is when the palms are facing down or towards the floor. When an individual lies face down, they are in the pronated position.

Question 34

What is inversion?

Answer 34

This is when the sole of the foot turns inwards towards the midline of the body so that the soles face each other.

Question 35

What is eversion?

Answer 35

This is where the sole of the foot is turned outwards away from the midline of the body so that the soles face away from each other.

Question 36

What is Scapular depression?

Answer 36

This is the action that occurs when the scapula moves downwards.

Question 37

What is scapula elevation?

Answer 37

This is the action that occurs when the scapula moves upwards along the frontal plane

Question 38

What is scapular protraction?

Answer 38

This is when the shoulder blades move away from each other, such as when the arm, for example, reaches forward to throw a punch.

Question 39

What is scapular retraction?

Answer 39

This is the movement that occurs when the shoulder blades or scapular are squeezed, or come closer together.