Download Body Planes and Directional Terms

What is Anatomy and Physiology?
Anatomy–
Physiology–
Integration of these two concepts!
Body Planes and
Directional Terms
Anatomical position: The position with
the body erect with the arms at the sides
and the palms
. The anatomical
position is of importance in anatomy
because it is the position of reference for
anatomical vocabulary. Anatomic terms
such as anterior and posterior, medial and
lateral, abduction and adduction, and so
on apply to the body when it is in the
.
Anatomic Position: Body standing erect
with arms to the side and palms facing
forward, head and feet forward.
3 Directional Planes
or Midsagittal Plane
or Dorsal
or Horizontal Plane
or Ventral
A sagittal plane divides the body
into
and
sides.
A sagittal plane that goes through
the middle of the body, dividing it
into
right and left sides is called
a
or median plane.
Medial means
toward the
midline. (
)
Lateral means
towards the
side.
Examples:
A transverse plane divides the
body into a
and
parts.
Horizontal =
Transverse
Superior means
upper or
.
Inferior means
lower or
.
Cranial means
towards the
.
Caudal means
toward the
.
Examples:
A coronal or frontal plane divides the body
into front and back sections.
Body parts in front of the plane, or on the
front of the body, are said to be ventral or
anterior. Body parts on the back of the body
or behind the plane are said to be dorsal or
posterior.
The terms ventral/anterior and dorsal/posterior can
also be used to describe relative or comparative
positions. For example, we can say that the heel is
posterior to the toe. The heel is dorsal to the toe.
The toe is ventral to the heel. The toe is anterior to
the heel.
3 Directional Planes
or Midsagittal Plane
or Dorsal
or Horizontal Plane
or Ventral
Two other directional terms you need to know are
proximal and distal.
Body parts
to a reference point are said to be
proximal. (Think of the word approximate, near,
close.)
Body parts
from a reference point are said to be
distal. (Think of the word distance, far.)
Example: If our point of reference is the shoulder, and
we want to describe the relationships of the wrist and
elbow, we can say that the wrist is distal and the elbow
is proximal.
Shoulder – point of reference
Elbow – proximal (nearer, closer)
Wrist – distal (further)
FOUR Main Body Cavities:
CRANIAL CAVITY - encases the
.
SPINAL CAVITY - extending from the cranial cavity
to the base of the spine, surrounds the
.
THE TWO MAIN CAVITIES IN THE TRUNK OF THE
HUMAN BODY ARE SEPARATED BY A WALL OF
MUSCLE CALLED THE
.
THORACIC CAVITY - The upper compartment,
contains the heart, the esophagus, and the organs of the
respiratory system - the lungs, trachea, and bronchi.
ABDOMINAL CAVITY - The lower compartment,
contains organs of the digestive, reproductive, and
excretory systems.
Abdominal Quadrants
Nine Regions of the Abdomen
The End
Systems of the Body