Introduction to Anatomical Terms, Back & Posterior Shoulder

Flashcards covering anatomical terminology, planes, spatial relationships, movements, and the anatomy of the back and posterior shoulder based on lecture notes.

Anatomical Position

A standard body position characterized by standing erect, facing forward, with upper limbs at the sides, palms facing forward, and toes facing forward.

Supine

The position of a body lying face up.

Prone

The position of a body lying face down.

Median sagittal plane

A vertical plane passing through the center of the body that divides it into equal left and right halves.

Coronal (Frontal) plane

Any vertical plane perpendicular to the median sagittal plane that divides the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) portions.

Transverse (Axial) plane

Any plane perpendicular to both the sagittal and coronal planes that divides the body into top (superior) and bottom (inferior) portions.

Proximal

A directional term meaning nearer to the trunk of the body or the point of origin of a structure.

Distal

A directional term meaning further from the trunk of the body or the point of origin of a structure.

Ipsilateral

Refers to a structure being on the same side of the body as another structure.

Contralateral

Refers to a structure being on the opposite side of the body from another structure.

Palmar

The surface of the hand corresponding to the palm.

Plantar

The surface of the foot corresponding to the sole.

Abduction

Movement of a limb or structure away from the midline of the body.

Adduction

Movement of a limb or structure toward the midline of the body.

Supination

Rotation of the forearm so that the palm faces anteriorly, allowing one to ideally hold a bowl of soup.

Circumduction

A circular movement that combines flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction.

Opposition

A specific movement of the manual digits (thumb) to touch the tips of other fingers.

Axial Skeleton

The part of the skeleton consisting of the skull, vertebrae, ribs, and sternum.

Appendicular Skeleton

The part of the skeleton consisting of the clavicle, scapula, pelvis, and the bones of the upper and lower limbs.

Lordosis

A secondary dorsal curve of the spinal column found in the cervical and lumbar regions.

Kyphosis

A primary ventral curve of the spinal column found in the thoracic and sacral regions.

Intervertebral foramen

The space between the pedicles of adjacent vertebrae that contains a spinal nerve and a dorsal root ganglion.

Annulus fibrosus

The outer fibrocartilaginous layer of an intervertebral disc that surrounds the nucleus pulposus.

Nucleus pulposus

The inner gelatinous core of an intervertebral disc; if it herniates (usually posterolaterally), it can compress the spinal nerve of the level below.

Shoulder Separation

An injury involving the acromioclavicular (AC) joint, ranging from ligament stretching (Type I) to complete tears of the AC and coraco-clavicular ligaments (Type III).

Shoulder Dislocation

The displacement of the glenohumeral joint, most commonly occurring anteriorly.

Extrinsic Back Muscles

Muscle groups (superficial and intermediate) that connect the spine to the upper limb and assist in respiration; they are innervated by the ventral rami of spinal nerves.

Intrinsic Back Muscles

Deep muscles such as the erector spinae that act specifically on the vertebral column and are innervated by the dorsal rami of spinal nerves.

Trapezius

A superficial back muscle innervated by the spinal accessory nerve (CN XI) that elevates, retracts, and depresses the scapula.

Latissimus Dorsi

A large back muscle that attaches to the intertubercular sulcus of the humerus and acts to extend, adduct, and medially rotate the humerus.

Erector Spinae

A group of intrinsic back muscles consisting of the iliocostalis (lateral), longissimus (middle), and spinalis (medial).

Rotator Cuff Muscles

A group of four muscles (Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor, and Subscapularis) that surround the shoulder joint to stabilize the humeral head in the glenoid fossa.

Supraspinatus

A rotator cuff muscle responsible for initiating abduction of the humerus for the first $15^{\circ}$; it is innervated by the suprascapular nerve.

Subscapularis

A rotator cuff muscle located on the anterior surface of the scapula that acts to medially rotate the humerus.

Quadrangular Space

A passage in the posterior shoulder containing the axillary nerve and the posterior circumflex humeral artery.

Scapular Anastomosis

The arterial communication on the posterior scapula between the suprascapular artery and the circumflex scapular artery.

Cephalic vein

A superficial vein of the upper limb that runs laterally and drains into the axillary vein at the deltopectoral triangle.

Axillary Artery (Third Part)

The segment of the axillary artery from the lateral border of the pectoralis minor to the inferior border of the teres major, branching into the subscapular and circumflex humeral arteries.