Anatomy terms
To understand the words used to describe the anatomy of specific systems or organs, it's important to know the terms in anatomy, so these will mostly be definitions. Terms help us understand the position, direction, and regions of structures. You will notice that a lot of the words have an opposite and that they come in pairs.
The body is always in an anatomical position when these terms are used. This means the body is upright, feet are flat forward, upper limbs are at the sides, and palms are facing forward. It is our starting point for describing directions and positions of the body.
Pair 1: The body is in a supine position if it is lying face up, and the body is in a prone position if it is lying face down.
Pair 2: The front of the body or organ is called the anterior view or ventral, while the back is called the posterior view or dorsal.
The midline is what divides the body into left and right.
Pair 3: Medial is what you would use closer to the midline. Think medial and medium - in the middle. Lateral is used when something is away from the midline. Think of how lateral lines run sideways.
Pair 4: The closer something is to a structure's head/upper part, you are looking at the superior view. The closer something is to a structure's feet/lower part, you are looking at the inferior view.
Pair 5: The closer you are to the body's surface, like the skin, the more superficial. The further away you are from the body's surface, like an organ, the more deep you are.
When it comes to bones, they will lead back to the trunk.
Pair 6: Proximal shows that part of a structure is closer to the trunk, while distal shows that part of a structure is farther away from the trunk. Distal like distant.
Pair 7: Cephalic is when you’re talking about the head in terms of location while casual is used to refer to the tailbone.
In anatomy, there are planes to study parts of the body. Planes are imaginary flat surfaces that pass through parts of the body. First, we have the frontal plane. This divides the body into the front and back. Next, we have the transverse plane. It divides the body into superior and inferior portions (remember that means upper and lower). Then, we have the oblique plane. This is when a plane passes through the body at an angle. Last, we have the sagittal plane. This divides the body into right and left portions.
Hopefully, this helps you better understand specific terms that will be used in the future!
Comments