Anatomical position, directional terms, planes, and cavities

Anatomical position

standard frame of reference
Palms face forward, upright position, head faces forward, feet are flat, toes forward.

cephal-

head

cyt-

cell

hist-

tissue

mamm-

breast

oculo-

eye

oto-

ear

Superior

ABOVE, closer to the head

Inferior

Below, closer to the feet

Anterior

FRONT, or view from the front

Posterior

BACK, or view from the back

Midline

Imaginary line straight down the middle that divides the body into equal left and right halves

Lateral

Further away from the midline

Medial

Closer to the midline

Superficial

Closer to the surface of the body

Deep

away from the surface of the body

Proximal

CLOSER to the attachment point, only on ARMS AND LEGS

Distal

FURTHER from the attachment point, ONLY ON ARMS AND LEGS

Plane

imaginary flat surface to divide the body

Unilateral

One side

Bilateral

both sides

What are anatomical planes

planes that helps to pinpoint areas in the body

what are the 3 anatomical planes

Transverse, Frontal, and Sagittal

Transverse plane

Cuts body into top & bottom (superior and inferior)

Frontal (coronal) plane

Cuts body into front & back (anterior and posterior)

Sagittal plane

Cuts body into 2 sides (medial & lateral)

Cavity

hollow fluid-filled space

Cranial cavity

cavity in the brain

Vertebral cavity

cavity inside the backbone

Diaphragm muscle

in between the thoracic and abdominal cavity

Abdominal cavity

cavity in abdomen

Pelvic cavity

cavity below the abdominal cavity by the pelvic bones