Introduction to Anatomy & Physiology

• Anatomy– Structural organization of living things

• Physiology– Basic processes that occur in the human body

Anatomical Position

• Upright, standing position• Face & feet pointing forward• Arms at side• Palms facing forward (supinated)

Why do we care?

Universal starting point from which to describe anatomical features and positions

Consistency of description - ability to communicate with each other

*structures will always be described as they are to the subject rather *

Anatomical Terms of Location

• Anterior/Posterior• Superior/Inferior• Proximal/Distal• Medial/Lateral• Superficial/Deep

Refers to a part of the body in relation to another

Pg. 6 in textbook

TERM MEANING EXAMPLE

Anterior Towards the front of the body The knee cap is on the anterior side of the leg

Posterior Towards the back of the body The shoulder blades are posterior to the ribs

Superior Towards the head The heart is superior to the stomach

Inferior Towards the feet The chest is inferior to the neck

Medial Towards the midline of the body The big toe is medial to the 5th toe

Lateral Away from the midline of the body The thumb is on the lateral side of the hand

Proximal Closer to the trunk or point of origin The hip is proximal to the knee

Distal Further from the trunk or point of origin

The wrist is distal to the elbow

Superficial Closer to the surface of the body Skin is superficial to the muscle

Deep Further from the surface The lungs are deep to the ribs

Examples:

The nose is ____________ to the ears.

The fingernails are ____________ to the skin.

The pinky is __________ to the thumb.

ANTERIOR

SUPERFICIAL

MEDIAL

Anatomical Planes

Sagittal

Frontal

Transverse

Relate to positions in space and are at right angles to one another

Sagittal

Frontal

Transverse

1. Frontal (coronal) plane– Divides body into front & back

segments

2. Transverse (horizontal) plane– Divides body into upper & lower

segments

3. Sagittal (median) plane– Divides body into right & left

segments

Anatomical Axes

An axis is a straight line around which an object rotate

Movement at the joint take place in a plane about an axis

Horizontal Longitudinal Antero-posterior

1. Horizontal axis– East-west in relationship to

anatomical position

2. Longitudinal axis– North-south in relationship to

anatomical position

3. Antero-posterior axis– Front to back in relationship to

anatomical position

Describing Position & Movement

• A body movement can be described in terms of the anatomical plane through which it occurs and the anatomical axis around which it rotate

RULE: The axis of rotation is perpendicular to the

plane of movement

Horizontal

SagittalPlane

TransversePlane

Longitudinal

Frontal Plane

Antero-Posterior

Axis of Rotation Plane of Motion Example

Horizontal

Longitudinal

Antero-posterior

Sagittal

Transverse

Frontal

Walking Squatting

Cycling

TwistPirouette

Jumping JacksSide Bend

Types of Body MovementRetraction/ProtractionAbduction/Adduction

Flexion/ExtensionPronation/Supination

Dorsiflexion/Plantar FlexionDepression/Elevation

Reposition/OppositionInversion/Eversion

External Rotation/Internal RotationCircumduction

pg. 4-5 in textbook

External Rotation

Internal Rotation

Thumb Reposition

Movements in Anatomical Planes

What types of movement occur on these planes?

• Sagittal Plane

• Frontal Plane

• Transverse Plane