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Anatomical Positions
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Anatomical Position | a person is standing upright with the head and feet facing forward, the arms at the sides, and the palms of the hands facing forward |
Anatomical Planes | the human body is divided into three imaginary, flat sections |
Frontal Plane | also called the coronal plane, is a vertical plane that divides the body into front and back sections |
Anterior | the front of the body; head end |
Dorsal | the back of the body |
Ventral | belly side of the body |
Posterior | refers to the tail end, or rear, of the body |
Mid-Sagittal Plane | is a vertical plane that divides the body into equal left and right halves |
Sagittal Plane | divides the body vertically into unequal left and right sections |
Medial | near the midline, or center, of the body |
Lateral | near the side of the body; farther from the midline (center) of the body |
Proximal | near the point of origin |
Distal | away from the point of origin |
Transverse | horizontal plane that divides the body into upper (superior) and lower (inferior) |
Superior | located closer to the top of the head in relation to a specific reference |
Inferior | located near the soles of the feet in relation to a particular reference point on the body |
Erect | normal standing position |
Fowler’s position | semi-sitting position; head of bed elevated |
knee-chest | lying facedown with knees bent while resting on the knees and chest |
lateral | left or right side; lying position |
prone | lying flat with the face down |
Sims’ position | lying on the side with the hip and knee straight, and the other hip and knee bent or flexed |
supine | lying flat with the face up |