Anatomy Terms so YOU TOO can talk
Terms for Direction
Anterior: meaning toward the front
Cephalic: pertaining to the head
Cranial: pertaining to the head
Caudal: meaning near the tail
Coronal Plane: the plane dividing the body vertically into anterior and posterior sections; referring to the crown of the head
Distal: a body part located far from an attachment point
Dorsal: toward the back
Frontal Plane: the plane dividing the body vertically into anterior and posterior sections
Inferior: a body part that is below another
Lateral: furthest from the midline of the body
Medial: nearest the midline of the body
Midsagittal plane: the lengthwise plane that divides the body into equal halves
Posterior: toward the back
Proximal: a body part located near an attachment point
Sagittal plane: lengthwise planes dividing the body into right and left sections
Superior: nearest the head
Transverse plane: the plane dividing the body horizontally into upper and lower sections
Ventral: towards the front or towards the belly
Terms for Position
Dorsal recumbent position: places the patient supine with their knees bent up
Fowler’s position: the legs are held straight out and the back is supported by the back of a chair
Knee chest position: the patient is facing down with his or her legs bent and the buttocks pushed up
Left lateral position: aka Sim’s position
Lithotomy position: the person’s legs are placed on supports that hold the ankles and spread out the legs
Modified Trendelenburg’s position: Trendelenburg’s position but with the feet in line with the pelvis
Prone position: when a person lies face down
Sim’s position: the person lies face down on their left side with the left arm behind the back and the left knee bent
Sitting position: the standard way a person would sit in a chair or at the edge of a table
Supine position: places a person flat on their back facing up
Trendelenburg’s position: the patient is supine with the body tilted so that the head is lower than the legs
Terms for Movement
Abduction: movement of the arm or leg away from the midline of the body
Adduction: movement of the arm or leg toward the midline of the body
Antagonistic: opposing movements
Eversion: movement of the hand or foot so that the thumb or big toe moves away from the midline of the body
Extension: to straighten a joint
Flexion: to bend a joint
Inversion: movement of the hand or foot so that the thumb or big toe moves towards the midline of the body
Terms for general body regions
Abdominal: refers to the stomach region
Acromial: refers to the shoulder region
Bilateral: refers to body structures located laterally on both sides of the body
Brachial: refers to the arm
Carpal: refers to the wrist
Cervical: refers to the neck region
Clavicular: refers to the region around the collar bone
Cubital: refers to the elbow
Deep: refers to any structure or region located away from the body's surface and toward the inside
Geniculate: refers to the knee region
Ocular: refers to the eyes
Palmar: pertaining to the palm of the hand
Parietal: refers to the outer wall of a hollow body part, such as the stomach. It also refers to the thin linings covering body cavities
Pedal: refers to the region around the foot
Pelvic: refers to the region around the hip bone
Plantar: pertaining to the sole of the foot
Pubic: refers to the groin region
Superficial: any body part region close to the skin
Thoracic: refers to the chest region
Unilateral: refers to a single body part found in a lateral position
Visceral: refers to the inner wall of an organ. It also refers to the coverings found directly on body parts
Terms for the Abdominopelvic Regions and Quadrants
Abcominopelvic Region: refers to the region of the body found below the breasts and above the groin
Epigastric: the upper middle of the abdominopelvic region
Hypogastric: the middle section between the right and left inguinal sections of the abdominopelvic region
Left Hypochondriac: the upper left corner of the abdominopelvic region
Left inguinal: the lower left corner of the abdominopelvic region
Right inguinal: the lower right corner of the abdominopelvic region
Left lower quadrant: the quadrant containing the left inguinal, lumbar, hypogastric, and umbilical regions
Left lumbar: the middle left section of the abdominopelvic region
Right hypochondriac: the upper right corner of the abdominopelvic region
Right lumbar: the middle right section of the abdominopelvic cavity
Right lower quadrant: the quadrant containing the right inguinal, lumbar, hypogastric, and umbilical regions
Right lumbar: the middle right section of the abdominopelvic region
Umbilical: the middle section between the right and left lumbar of the abdominopelvic region
Terms for Body Cavities:
Abdominal cavity: the body cavity containing the liver, gallbladder, intestines, kidneys, spleen and stomach
Abdominopelvic cavity: the body cavity containing the abdominal and pelvic cavities
Cervical region: the part of the spinal column comprising the neck
Coccyx region: the part of the spinal column comprising the tailbone
Cranial cavity: the body cavity containing the brain
Diaphragm: a large muscular partition below the thoracic cavity
Lumbar region: the part of the spinal column comprising the dorsal section of the umbilical region
Mediastinum: the body cavity between the lungs containing the pericardial cavity
Nasal cavity: the body cavity behind the nose
Oral cavity: the body cavity containing the mouth
Pelvic cavity: the body cavity containing the rectum, reproductive system, and urinary bladder
Pericardial cavity: the body cavity containing the heart
Pleural cavity: the body cavities containing the left and right lungs
Sacral region: the part of the spinal column comprising the pelvic area
Sinuses: small cavities found in bones surrounding the cranial cavity
Spinal cavity: the body cavity containing the spinal cord
Spinal column regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccyx
Thoracic cavity: the body cavity containing the esophagus, heart, lungs, and respiratory tree
Thoracic region: the part of the spinal column comprising the neck