anatomical terms

anatomical position

standing upright, palms facing forward, arms at sides, and feet forward

midline

imaginary line that cuts the body into right and left halves

proximal

toward the torso or point of attachment

distal

away from the torso or point of attachment

ex: the wrist is distal to the shoulder

superior

toward the top of the body

inferior

toward the bottom of the body

anterior

toward the front of the body

posterior

toward the back of the body

medial

toward the midline of the body

lateral

away from the midline of the body

sagittal plane

Vertical plane that runs front to back,

separating the body into left and right

Motions in this plane include:

Flexion

Extension

frontal plane

A vertical plane that runs side to side that

divides the body into front and back sections

Motions in this plane include:

Adduction

Abduction

transverse plane

An imaginary plane that divides the body into superior and inferior parts

Motions in this plane include:

Rotation

flexion

to bend or decrease the joint angle

adduction

movement of a limb towards the midline of the body

abduction

the movement of a limb away from the midline of the body

horizontal adduction

to move towards the midline in the horizontal plane

horizontal abduction

to move away from the midline in the horizontal plane

internal rotation (medial rotation)

inward rotation towards the center of the body

external rotation (lateral rotation)

an outward rotation from the center of the body

pronation

rotation of the forearm toward the body

supination

rotation of the forearm away from the body

think of holding a bowl of soup

plantar flexion

motion of pointing the foot downwards, or where the top of your foot points away from your leg

think of pressing on the gas

dorsiflexion

action of raising the foot upwards towards the shin

inversion

turn the foot inward toward the opposite ankle

eversion

turn the foot outward at the ankle