Download Body Planes - Effingham County Schools

6.2 Body Planes, Directions, and
Cavities
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Body Planes:
Imaginary lines
drawn through the
body at various parts
to separate the body
into sections
3 Main Body Planes
Transverse,
Midsagittal, and
Frontal
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Transverse Plane: Horizontal
plane divides the body into a
top half and a bottom half
Superior – Body parts above
other parts
Inferior – Body parts below
other parts
2 other directional terms
related to this plane are:
Cranial – body parts near the
head
Caudal – body parts near the
sacral region (tail)
Planes Continued
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Midsagittal or
Median Plane
Divides body into left
and right sides
Body parts close to
midline called medial
Body parts away from
the midline are called
lateral
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Frontal or Coronal
Plane
Divides the body into a
front section and back
section
Body parts in front of
plane are called Anterior
or Ventral
Body parts on back of
body are called Posterior
or Dorsal
More
Directional Terms
They describe the
location of the
extremities in relation
to the main trunk of
the body ( called the
point of reference)
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Proximal – Body parts
close to the point of
reference (trunk)
Distal – Body parts
distant from the point of
reference (Trunk)
Examples: The wrist is
distal to the shoulder
The elbow is proximal to
the shoulder
Body Cavities
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Spaces within the
body that contain
vital organs
2 Main Body
Cavities:
Anterior or Ventral
Posterior or Dorsal
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Anterior or Ventral
cavity is larger than the
dorsal
Separated by 2 distinct
cavities which are
separated by the
diaphragm (dome-shaped
muscle) into the
Thoracic Cavity and
Abdominal-Pelvic
Cavity
Body Cavities Continued
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Abdominal-Pelvic Cavity –
Divided into an upper and
lower part
Upper Abdominal Cavity:
stomach, small intestine, most
of the large intestine,
appendix, liver, gallbladder,
pancreas, and spleen
Pelvic Cavity - Lower
Abdominal Cavity: Urinary
Bladder, reproductive organ,
and last part of large intestine.
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Three Small
Cavities:
Orbital – Eyes
Nasal – Nose
structures
Buccal(Mouth) –
Teeth and Tongue
See Figure 6-6 Body
Cavities