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Where Does It Hurt? The Directions, Cavities, and Regions of the Human Body
Jennifer Kitchen
April 23, 2011
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Anatomy is the study of an organism and the relationship of the organism’s many parts.
The human body is a very complex organism and although it may seem like a very solid
structure it is actually made up of many different parts. Describing the aspects of the human
body can be complicated and in order for health professionals to easily communicate with each
other specific terms are used when speaking of location in the body. To understand the
“where” of an ailment in a patient these terms have been applied to describe the directions,
the cavities, and the regions of the human body.
Anatomical Position and the 10 Directions
When health professionals talk about the human body they always speak of it as
standing erect with head and feet forward. The arms are straight and the palms of the hands
face forward. This is called the anatomical position. There are ten terms that relate to the
directions of the relative positions of the body’s parts. These directions are in actuality five sets
of opposites, for as there is an up there is a down. Superior means “toward the head, upper, or
above” and inferior means “toward the feet, lower, or below” (Health Pages, 2011; Miami Dade
College, n.d.; Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). This means that the head is superior to the
shoulders and the hips are superior to the feet. The knees are inferior to the waist and the
elbows are inferior to the shoulders. The body also has a front and a back. Anterior means “in
front of” and posterior means “in back of” (Health Pages, 2011; Miami Dade College, n.d.;
Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). The nose is anterior on the head, while the buttocks anterior on
the body. If there are two sides there must be a middle. Medial means “toward the midline of
the body”. Lateral means “toward the side of the body or away from the body’s midline”
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(Health Pages, 2011; Miami Dade College, n.d.; Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). The belly button is
medial on the body and the heart is medial to the ribs. The arms are lateral to the trunk of the
body. The human body even has a near and far. Proximal means “toward or nearest to the
trunk of the body or point of origin of a body part” and distal means “away from or farthest
from the trunk or the point of origin of a body part” (Health Pages, 2011; Miami Dade College,
n.d.; Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). Therefore the nose is proximal to the face while the feet
would be distal to the face. The feet would be proximal to the leg. Finally, the body has a
surface and an inside. Superficial means “nearer to the surface” and deep means “farther away
from the surface” (Health Pages, 2011; Miami Dade College, n.d.; Thibodeau & Patton, 2008).
The skin is the body’s most superficial organ while the heart is deep within the body. The
directional terms assist health professional in communicating with each other about the
“where” of a patients ailments, whether it be a broken arm or a pinched nerve.
The Cavities of the Body and the Organs They Contain
The body may seem solid but it is in fact made of open spaces that are holding places for
the organs. Theses open spaces are known as cavities. There are two main body cavities that
are divided into six smaller cavities. These two body cavities are the dorsal body cavity and the
ventral body cavities (Health Pages, 2011; Miami Dade College, n.d.; Thibodeau & Patton,
2008). These two body cavities are specific in what they contain. The dorsal body cavity
includes the cranial cavity and the spinal (vertebral) cavity. The cranial cavity holds the brain
and the spinal cavity contains the spinal cord (Health Pages, 2011; Miami Dade College, n.d.;
Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). While the dorsal body cavity is only divided into two other cavities,
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the ventral body cavity has several cavities within. The upper part of the ventral body cavity
includes the thoracic cavity which contains the mediastinum and the pleural cavity. The pleural
cavity contains the lungs. The mediastinum contains the trachea (wind pipe), heart, and blood
vessels (Health Pages, 2011; Miami Dade College, n.d.; Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). The
thoracic cavity is separated from the abdominal cavity by the diaphragm, which is also the most
important muscle for breathing. The lower part of the ventral cavity includes the abdominal
cavity and the pelvic cavity. The abdominal cavity contains the liver, gallbladder, stomach,
spleen, pancreas, small intestine, and parts of the large intestine. The pelvic cavity contains the
lower colon, the rectum, urinary bladder, and the reproductive organs (Health Pages, 2011;
Miami Dade College, n.d.; Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). This lower part of the ventral cavity is
often combined and considered the abdominopelvic cavity. This is where many of the body’s
internal organs are held.
The 9 Abdominopelvic Regions of the Body
Since the abdominopelvic region covers the entire trunk area of the body and contains
many organs it is divided into nine regions for easier understanding of the “where” of ailments.
By looking at the body as if there is a three by three grid over the abdominopelvic region health
professions can be more specific when speaking of an area (see figure 1). The upper
abdominopelvic region lies above an imaginary line that is even with the ninth rib cartilages.
This region includes the right and left hypochondriac regions and the epigastric region (Health
Pages, 2011; Miami Dade College, n.d.; Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). The heart lies in the
epigastric region. The lower abdominopelvic region lies below an imaginary line that is even
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with the top of the hip bones. This region includes the right and left iliac (inguinal) regions and
the hypogastric (pubic) region (Health Pages, 2011; Miami Dade College, n.d.; Thibodeau &
Patton, 2008). The bladder would be in the hypogastric region. The middle abdominopelvic
region lies between the two imaginary lines at the ninth rib cartilage and the top of the hip
bones. This region includes the right and left lumbar (lateral) regions and the umbilical (belly
button) region (Health Pages, 2011; Miami Dade College, n.d.; Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). The
umbilical region is where the majority of our intestines lie but they also reach out to the right
and left lumbar and even fall below the line into the hypogastric and right and left iliac regions.
Knowing what region a patient is experiencing pain or discomfort can help a health professional
determine what may be going on with what organ.
By using these terms to describe the directions, the cavities, and the regions of the
human body health professionals can communicate more easily the location of a patient’s
ailment. This comes in very handy when a doctor refers a patient to a specialist or even when a
patient describes their symptoms to a nurse before seeing the doctor.
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Figure 1: The 9 Regions of the Abdominopelvic Cavity
(Created using Microsoft Publisher, 2010; picture from Microsoft Clip-Art)
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References
Health pages (2011). Anatomy terms. Retrieved from http://healthpages.org/anatomyfunction/anatomy-terms/.
Miami Dade College, (n.d.). The human body: anatomical regions, directions, and body cavities.
Retrieved from
http://www.mdc.edu/main/search/search_results.asp?cx=003737384118370267526%3
Ahchzsajmmww&cof=FORID%3A11&q=the+human+body+presentation&sitesearch=ww
w.mdc.edu&sa=Search#1650.
Thibodeau, G. and Patton, K., (2008). Structure and function of the body. Missouri; Mosby
Elsevier.