Foundations of Structural Kinesiology

Reference Positions and Body Regions

  • Reference Positions:

    • Anatomical Position:
    • Most widely used and accurate reference position for all aspects of the body.
    • Standing in an upright posture, facing straight ahead, feet parallel and close together, with palms facing forward.
    • Fundamental Position:
    • Essentially the same as the anatomical position, except the arms are relaxed at the sides with palms facing toward the body.

  • Body Regions:

    • Axial Region:
    • Cephalic: Head.
    • Cervical: Neck.
    • Trunk: Central torso region.
    • Appendicular Region:
    • Upper Limbs: Shoulders, arms, forearms, wrists, hands.
    • Lower Limbs: Hips, thighs, legs, ankles, feet.

Anatomical Directional Terminology

  • Anteroposterior Axis & Front/Back Terms:

    • Anterior: In front or in the front part.
    • Posterior: Behind, in back, or in the rear.
    • Ventral: Relating to the belly or abdomen; located on or toward the front, anterior part of the body.
    • Dorsal: Relating to the back; being or located near, on, or toward the back, posterior part, or upper surface of the body.

  • Superior/Inferior Relationship Terms:

    • Superior / Cephalic: Above in relation to another structure; higher.
    • Inferior / Caudal: Below in relation to another structure; lower.

  • Symmetry and Sidedness:

    • Ipsilateral: On the same side.
    • Contralateral: Pertaining or relating to the opposite side.
    • Bilateral: Relating to both the right and left sides of the body.
    • Unilateral: Pertaining to or occurring on only one side of the body.

  • Depth and Proximity Terms:

    • Deep: Beneath or below the surface; used to describe relative depth of location of muscles or tissues.
    • Superficial: Near the surface; used to describe relative depth of location of muscles or tissues.
    • Distal: Situated away from the center or midline of the body, or away from the point of origin (Distal=Distance\text{Distal} = \text{Distance}).
    • Proximal: Nearest the trunk or the point of origin (Proximal=Proximity\text{Proximal} = \text{Proximity}).
    • Lateral: On or to the side; outside, away from the median or midsagittal plane.
    • Medial: Relating to the middle or center; nearer to the median or midsagittal plane.

  • Body Positions:

    • Prone: The body lying face downward; stomach-lying position.
    • Supine: Lying on the back; face-upward position of the body.

  • Surface-Specific Terminology:

    • Palmar: Relating to the palm or volar aspect of the hand.
    • Volar: Relating to the palm of the hand or the sole of the foot.
    • Plantar: Relating to the sole or undersurface of the foot.

Structural Alignment Variations

  • Spinal Alignment Variations:

    • Scoliosis: Lateral curving of the spine.
    • Kyphosis: Increased curving of the spine outward or backward in the sagittal plane.
    • Lordosis: Increased curving of the spine inward or forward in the sagittal plane.

  • Joint and Limb Angulations:

    • Recurvatum: Bending backward, as demonstrated in knee hyperextension.
    • Valgus: Outward angulation of the distal segment of a bone or joint, as