1. Anatomical Position

2. Anatomical Position • body erect • feet together • arms hanging at sides • palms facing forward

3. superior inferior anterior posterior medial lateral intermediate proximal ipsilateral contralateral distal superficial deep parietal visceral Directional Terms

4. Superior • towards the head • upper part of structure • above • Examples: - forehead is superior to the nose - lips are superior to the chin - heart is superior to the liver

5. Inferior • away from head end • toward lower region of structure or body • Examples: - navel is inferior to the breastbone - knee is inferior to the hip - stomach is inferior to the lungs

6. Anterior • towards the front • in front of • Examples: - breast bone is anterior to the spine - front teeth are anterior to the back teeth - sternum is anterior to the heart

7. Posterior • toward or at the back • behind • Examples - heart is posterior to the sternum - molars are posterior to the front or anterior teeth - esophagus is posterior to the trachea

8. Medial • towards the midline • inner side of • Examples: - head is medial to the arm - ulna is on the medial side of the forearm

9. Lateral • away from the midline • towards the side • Examples: - eye is lateral to the bridge of the nose - lungs are lateral to the heart

10. Intermediate • between a more medial and more lateral structure • Examples: - collar bone is intermediate between the breast bone and the shoulder - ring finger is intermediate between the little and middle fingers

11. Proximal • close to origin or point of attachment • sides next to each other • Examples: - elbow is proximal to the wrist (closer to the shoulder than that the wrist) - humerus is proximal to the radius

12. Ipsilateral • on same side of the body • Examples: - ring finger is ipsilsteral to the little or middle fingers

13. Contralateral • on the opposite side of the body • Examples: - ascending and descending colons of the large intestine are contralateral

14. Distal • farthest from origin • Examples: - knee is distal to thigh - wrist is distal to shoulder - phalanges are distal to the carpals (wrist bones)

15. Superficial • towards the surface • Examples: - skin is superficial to the skeleton - muscles of the thoracic wall are superficial to the lungs

16. Deep • more internal • Examples: - heart is deep in relation to the skin - nasal sinuses are deep in relation to the nose

17. Parietal • pertaining to or forming the outer wall of a body cavity • Example: - parietal pleura forms the outer layer of the pleural sacs that surround the lungs

18. Visceral • pertaining to the covering of an organ within the ventral body cavity • Example: - visceral pleura forms the inner layer of the pleural sacs and covers the external surface of the lungs

19. Body Planes • imaginary lines used to divide body into sections - sagittal - mid-sagittal - frontal - transverse - oblique

20. Sagittal • vertical plane • lengthwise • longitudinal • divides the body into right and left portions

21. Mid-sagittal • midline • divides the body into equal right and left portions

22. Frontal(coronal) • right angles to sagittal plane • divides the body into anterior and posterior portions

23. Transverse(horizontal) • divides the body into superior and inferior regions

24. Oblique • an oblique plane passes at an angle between transverse and frontal planes or between transverse and sagittal planes