Anatomical Position Body is standing straight, facing forward, upper limbs at side and palms facing forward. *right and left refer to "right" and "left" of the body in position. Coronal Plane Divides body into front and back portions (Anterior-front, Posterior-back) (Ventral-front, Dorsalback) Sagittal Plane Divides body into left and right portions -Mid-: equal right & Left halves -Para-: unequal division Transervse Plane Divides body into top and bottom portions (superior-head; inferior-feat) Anterior (Ventral) Towards the Front. [The eyes are _______ to the brain]. Posterior (Dorsal) Toward the back; opposite of Anterior Superior A body part is above another part, or is closer to the head Inferior A body part is below another body part, is toward the feet Medial Closer to midline Lateral Away from midline Proximal Towards origin or tank Distal Away from the origin or trunk Superficial Towards surface of body Deep Inward from body surface; toward core Bilateral Paired structures, one on each side Ipsilateral Structures on the same side Contralateral Structures on the opposite side Anatomic Positions Anatomy and Physiology Workbook For Dummies, 2nd Edition By Janet Rae-Dupree, Pat DuPree Part of Anatomy & Physiology Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet Whenever you see an anatomical drawing, like the one below, you’re looking at the anatomic position. This standard position (standing straight, looking forward, arms at your side, and facing forward) keeps everyone on the same page when you’re talking anatomy and physiology. Keep this list handy of anatomic descriptive terms that appear regularly in anatomy text: Anterior: Front, or toward the front Posterior: Back, or toward the back Dorsal: Back, or toward the back (think of a whale’s dorsal fin) Ventral: Front, or toward the front (think of an air vent) Lateral: On the side, or toward the side Medial/median: Middle, or toward the middle Proximal: Nearer to the point of attachment (such as the armpit) Distal: Farther from the point of attachment Superior: Situated above, or higher than, another body part Inferior: Situated below, or lower than, another body part Peripheral: Away from the center Patient Positioning Supine Someone in the supine position is lying on his or her back. Prone Someone in the prone position is lying face down. Right Lateral Recumbent The Right lateral recumbent, or RLR, means that the patient is lying on their right side. Left Lateral Recumbent The left lateral recumbent, or LLR, means that the patient is lying on their left side. Fowler's Position A person in the Fowler's position is sitting straight up or leaning slightly back. Their legs may either be straight or bent. A ‘high fowlers’ position is somewhat who is sitting upright. A ‘low fowlers’ position is someone whose head is only slightly elevated. Trendelenberg Position A person in the Trendelenberg position is lying supine with their head slightly lower than their feet. Abduction Abduction is movement away from the midline, or to abduct. Adduction Adduction is movement toward the midline, or to add. Flexion Flexion is to bend at a joint, or to reduce the angle. Extension Extension is to straighten at a joint, or to increase the angle, for example, from 90 degrees to 180 degrees. Medial Rotation Medial rotation is to turn inward. Lateral Rotation Lateral rotation is to turn outward. Supination Supination is to rotate the forearm so that the palm faces forward. Pronation Pronation is to rotate the forearm so that the palm faces backward. Tripod Position Child assuming tripod position. One position that the (quite wonderful) medtrng.com site does not mention is the ‘tripod’ position. When people sit like this - with their hands on their knees and their elbows out, leaning forward it's because they are very short of breath and struggling to get enough air. There's a big difference between someone who is just 'sitting', which we will often describe as 'sitting comfortably', and someone who is 'tripoding'. Any patient who is tripoding is struggling to breath, and that should worry you. Incidentally, here's a clinical pearl for you. If you find a patient sitting high fowlers with their legs crossed it's a pretty good sign that they are not in any distress. Don't take that as an unbreakable law or anything - but many clinicians have noticed over the years that folks who are really in trouble don't lie back with their legs crossed. Usually, only people who are relaxed do that.
