Location Terminology

Whenever we want to describe the location of a structure of the human body or the location of a specific point of the human body, we always do so in reference to anatomical position.

1. STANDING UPRIGHT

2. FEET SHOULDER WIDTH APART

3. ARMS AT SIDES

4. PALMS FACING FORWARD

Describing a location on the human body involves the use of specific directional terms that describe the location of one structure or point on the body relative to another structure or point on the body.

Anterior (ventral) = In front of (belly side)

Posterior (dorsal) = Behind (back surface)

Medial = closer to the midline

Lateral = away from the midline

Superior - Above (closer to your head)

Inferior - Below (further from the head)

Proximal - Closer to the point of attachment

Distal - Further from the point of attachment

ONLY PERTAINS TO THE LIMBS

BOTH STRUCTURES MUST BE ON THE SAME LIMB

Superficial - Closer to the surface

Deep - Further from the surface

Ulnar - Closer to the medial part of arm/forearm (closer to ulna)

Radial - Closer to the lateral part of arm/forearm (closer to the radius)

Tibial - Closer to the medial portion of the thigh or leg (closer to the tibia)

Fibular - Closer to the lateral portion of the thigh or leg (closer to the fibula)

Planes, Axes and the Coordinating motions

Space is three-dimensional, therefore to map space we need to learn the three types of plans that exist.

Sagittal - Splits into a right and left portion (movement occurs forwards and backwards)

Frontal - Divides a structure into a front and a back - Anterior and Posterior portion (movement occurs to the left and right)

Transverse - Divides a structure into a top and bottom - Superior and Inferior(movement occurs up and down and spinning)

^^^ THE THREE CARDINAL PLANES

Oblique - On a slant or diagonal

Types of Motion

The type of movement your body makes depends on the mobility of the joint and where the muscle is located in relation to the joint.

Most common types of body movements:

Flexion - decrease of the angle between two body parts

Extension - increasing the angle between two body parts

MOVEMENT TO GET TO THE POSITION

Rotation - movement on a single axis

Abduction (Abolish) - to move your limbs away from the midline

Adduction (Add back) - to move your limbs towards the midline

UPPER LIMBS - Arm, forearm, hand

LOWER LIMBS - Thigh, leg, foot

Circumduction - The moving of a body part in a circular motion from a signal point.

Hyperextension - extension past anatomical position; generally not a purposeful movement and usually results in injury

Certain movements occur at only a few joint.

Dorsiflexion - when ball of your foot is above the ground when your heel is on the ground

Plantar flexion - ball of your foot is on the ground and your heel is above the ground

Inversion - to turn the soles of your feet towards the midline

Eversion - to turn the soles of your feet away from the midline

Supination - turning your palms in an anterior direction

Pronation - turning your palms in a posterior direction

Opposition - using your thumbs to grasp and manipulate your environment.

The human body can be divided into two major sections:

Axial - head, neck, trunk

Appendicular - (appendages) upper limbs and lower limbs

A body part is a part of the body that can move independently of another body part that is next to it - A body part is separated by joints.

The human body has 11 major body parts:

AXIAL: head, neck, shoulder girdle, trunk, pelvis

APPENDICULAR: arm, forearm, hand, thigh, leg, foot

Joints Between Body Parts

What separates one body part from the body part next to it is the presence of a joint between the bones of the body parts ALL MOVEABLE JOINTS

When a movement occurs, we see the following:

1. The body part that is moving

2. The joint where the movement occurs

3. The type of movement that is happening

To name the movement properly and fully, three things must be stated

1. The body part that is moving

2. The joint where the movement occurs

3. The type of movement that is happening