Introduction

• Specialized terms are used in anatomy to increase precision and avoid confusion

Standard Anatomical Position

• Humans move their limbs around a lot
• This can make it hard to describe a location on the body
  • E.g. the front of the forearm depends on how it is currently rotated
• To solve these ambiguities we use a standard anatomical position
• In anatomical position:
  • The person is standing upright
  • The feet are slightly apart and facing forwards
  • The arms are held out to each side, with palms facing forwards and thumbs pointing away from the body

Prone & Supine

• Prone and supine refer to two positions when a body is lying down
• Prone:
  • Face-down orientation
  • The person is lying on their front
• Supine:
  • Face-up orientation
  • The person is lying on their back

Directional Terms

• Directional terms describe the position of one structure relative to another
• All positions assume the body is in standard anatomical position
• Anterior:
  • Anterior is towards the front of the body
  • The position of the toes are anterior to the foot
  • It is also called ventral
• Posterior:
  • Opposite of anterior
  • Posterior is towards the back of the body
  • The position of the heel is posterior to the foot
  • It is also called dorsal
• Superior:
  • Superior describes one part as being above (or higher than) another part of the body
  • The position of the head is superior to the abdomen
  • It is also called cranial
• Inferior:
  • Opposite of superior
  • Inferior describes a part as being further from the head than another part
  • Some sources also describe it as towards the coccyx (the lowest part of the spinal column)
  • The position of the pelvis is inferior to the abdomen
  • It is also called caudal
• Lateral:
  • Lateral describes being towards the side of the body, from the middle outwards
  • The position of the thumb is lateral to the hand
• Medial:
  • Opposite of lateral
  • Medial describes being in the middle, or towards the middle of the body
  • The position of the eyes is medial to the ears
• Proximal:
  • Proximal describes a body part as being towards the trunk of the body. I.e. where the part originates
  • The position of the arm is proximal to the hand
• Distal:
  • Opposite of proximal
  • Distal describes a position away from the trunk of the body
  • The position of the finger nail is distal to the finger
• Superficial:
  • Superficial describes being on or towards the surface of the body
  • The position of the ribs are superficial to the lungs
• Deep:
  • Opposite of superficial
  • Deep describes being below, or away from the surface of the body
  • The position of the bones are deep to the skin