Download Directional Terms WS 1

Up, Down, Side-to-Side: Directional Terms
Imagine that when you’re studying a (correctly anatomically positioned) body you’re
looking at a map. Like you use the cardinal directions to explain the location of certain
regions (north, northwest, southeast, etc.), you use directional terms to describe the
regions of the body.
Here are some commonly used directional terms:
Anterior
Posterior
Midline
Lateral
Medial
Superior
Inferior
Superficial
Deep
Proximal
Distal
At or near the front of the body (front
view)
At or near the back of the body (back
view)
An imaginary vertical line that divides
the body equally (right down the middle)
Farther from midline (side view)
Nearer to midline (side view)
Toward the head/upper part of a
structure (bird’s-eye view, looking down)
Away from the head/lower part of a
structure (bottom view, looking up)
Close to the surface of the body
Away from the surface of the body
Nearer to the origination of a structure
Farther from the origination of a
structure
Anatomical Position
Anatomical Position


is the reference position used to describe the location of anatomical parts and to describe
and explain human movement.
the subject is:
1. standing upright with feet flat on the floor
2. arms at the side of the body
3. facing the observer
4. palms are facing forward (supinated)
Know these:
Superficial
Deep
Lateral: Contralateral
Ipsilateral
Bilateral
Cranial
Caudal