ANATOMICAL POSiTION
PLANES & DIRECTIONAL TERMS
BY : JANICEBY : JANICEBY : JANICE E. MANCE- ERLANO, RNE. MANCE- ERLANO, RNE. MANCE- ERLANO, RN
Core Concepts
1.Anatomical Reference
Planes
Sagital
Coronal
Transverse
Oblique
2. Directional Terms
Superior and Inferior Caudal
Anterior and Posterior Visceral
Medial and Lateral Palmar
Proximal and Distal Dorsal
Superficial and Deep
Intermediate
3.Body Cavities
Cranial Cavity Abdominal Cavity
Dorsal Cavity Pelvic Cavity
Thoracic Cavity Abdominopelvic Cavity
Spina; Cavity
Ventral Cavity
4.Nine Divisions of the Abdomen
5. Four Quadrants of Abdomen
6.Prefixes for the Extremities,
Position and Direction
7. BODY POSITIONS
8.MOVEMENTS
ANATOMICAL POSITION
Anatomical position is a body posture used among
anatomists and clinicians as a position of reference
to ensure uniformity and consistency in locating
anatomical parts or divisions of the human body.
ANATOMICAL POSITION
Person is erect, facing forward
Arms at the side of the body,
with palms of the hands
turned forward
Feet parallel to each other
BODY PLANES
Most common planes in a human:
median or sagittal plane.
frontal or coronal plane.
transverse or axial plane. (horizontal)
BODY PLANES
Longitudinal plane
BODY PLANES
BODY PLANES
Axial Plane
BODY PLANES
Anterior: Front,
Toward the front.
Posterior: Back,
Behind, Toward
the rear.
Distal: Away from, Farther
from the trunk or the point
or attachment. Ex: The foot
is distal to the knee.
Proximal: Near, Closer to the
point of attachment, Toward
the trunk. Ex: The knee is
proximal to the foot.
SUPERIOR AND
INFERIOR
Superior: Above,
Towards the head,
Over.
Inferior: Below,
Under, Towards
the feet.
MEDIAL AND LATERAL
Lateral: Toward the side,
Away from the mid-line.
The lungs lie lateral to the
heart.
Medial: Away from the
side, Toward the mid-line,
Middle. Ex: The heart is
medial to the lungs.
Intermediate ex:
Your knee is intermediate between
your ankles and hip
DORSAL AND VENTRAL
Dorsal: Near the upper
surface, Opposite the ventral
surface, Toward the back.
Ventral: Toward the bottom
and front, Opposite the
dorsal surface, toward the
belly.
ROSTRAL AND CAUDAL
Rostral: Toward the front of
the head, Latin meaning is
toward the beak/nose.
Caudal: Toward the back,
Inferior to another structure,
Latin meaning is toward the
tail.
SUPERFICIAL AND DEEP
Superficial: Closer to the surface of the
body structure or organ.
Deep: Further from the surface of the
body structure or organ.
The parietal layers of the
membranes line the walls
of the body cavity (pariet-
refers to a cavity wall).
The visceral layer of the
membrane covers the
organs (the viscera)
BODY POSITIONS
DIVISIONS OF ABDOMEN
DIVISIONS OF ABDOMEN
BODY MOVEMENTS
FLEXION
Bending a joint or decreasing
the angle between two bones
In the fetal position, we are
flexing our joints
EXTENSION
Straightening a joint or
increasing the angle between
two bones
In Anatomical position, we are
extending our joints
BODY MOVEMENTS
HYPEREXTENSION
Excessive extension
of the parts at a joint
beyong anatomical
position
BODY MOVEMENTS
RETRACTION
Moving a part backward
PROTRACTION
Moving a part forward
ELEVATION
Raising a part
DEPRESSION
Lowering a part
BODY MOVEMENTS
PRONATION
Turning the arm or foot
downward
Palm or sole of the foot-
down
SUPINATION
Turning the arm or foot
upward
Palm or sole of the foot -
up
BODY MOVEMENTS
ROTATION
Turning on a single axis
CIRCUMDUCTION
Tri- planar circular motion
at the hip or shoulder
BODY MOVEMENTS
EXTERNAL ROTATION
Rotation of the hip or
shoulder away from the
midline
INTERNAL ROTATION
Rotation of the hip or
shoulder towards the
midline
BODY MOVEMENTS
LATERAL FLEXION
Side- bending left or
right
BODY MOVEMENTS
DORSIFLEXION
Ankle movement
bringing the foot
towards the skin
PLANTAR FLEXION
Ankle movement
pointing the foot
downward
BODY MOVEMENTS
PRONATION
Turning the arm or foot
downward
Palm or sole of the foot-
down
SUPINATION
Turning the arm or foot
upward
Palm or sole of the foot -
up
BODY MOVEMENTS
INVERSION
Turning the sole of the
foot inward
EVERSION
Turning the sole of the
foot outward
BODY MOVEMENTS
INVERSION
Turning the sole of the
foot inward
EVERSION
Turning the sole of the
foot outward
A body cavity is a fluid-filled space inside the
body that holds and protects internal organs.
Human body cavities are separated by
membranes and other structures. The two
largest human body cavities are the ventral
cavity and dorsal cavity.
BODY CAVITY