Anatomy and Physiology 1- Basic Location Terminology

First terms to understand placement in the body

Correct anatomical position

• standing upright facing forward

• feet parallel and flat on the ground

• Arms straight down at the sides with palms facing forward

• Body is labeled as Right |Left side in this position instead of (Left| Right)

Anterior

front of the body

Posterior

back of body

Dorsal

back of body (synonym for posterior) *remember ____ fin on fish

Ventral

Front of the body (synonym for anterior) *remember vent → lungs → front of body

Caudal

towards the bottom/tailbone of the body

Cauda

Latin= tail

Rostral

refers to a structure in the head or brain

Palmar

palm or front of the hand

Plantar

bottom of foot *remember: planting your foot on the ground

Superficial

refers to structure closer to the surface of the body

Deep

refers to innermost layer of bodily structure (ex. deep tissue massage)

Unilateral

structure located on only one side of the body (ex. spleen)

Bilateral

structure located on both sides of the body (ex. left lung and right lung)

Ipsilateral

several structures located on the same side of the body (ex. left lung and left kidney

Contralateral

one structure located on one side of the body and another structure located on the opposite side of the body (ex. left lung and right kidney) *think “contradict” → opposite of something

Proximal

closer to the focus point structure on the body

Distal

further from the focus point structure on the body

Sagittal Plane

divides the body into right and left parts (can be directly in the middle or off-center)

Frontal (Coronal) Plane

plane that divides body into anterior (front) and posterior (back)

Transverse (axial) plane

divides body into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) parts

sagittal axis

passes from front to back

frontal axis

passes from left to right

vertical axis

passes from top to bottom