Overview
This lecture introduces key anatomical and directional terminology, major body regions, planes, cavities, abdominal regions, and basic joint movements essential for understanding human anatomy and physiology.
Anatomical Directions and Planes
- Anterior refers to the front of the body.
- Posterior means toward the back of the body.
- Superior means upward or toward the head.
- Inferior means downward or away from the head.
- Medial means toward the body's vertical midline.
- Lateral is away from the midline.
- Proximal is closer to the point of attachment.
- Distal is farther from the point of attachment.
- Superficial is toward the body surface.
- Deep is away from the body surface.
- Parietal refers to the outer wall of a cavity.
- Visceral refers to the covering of an organ.
- Midsagittal plane divides the body into left and right halves.
- Parasagittal plane is parallel to the midsagittal plane.
- Transverse plane divides the body into upper and lower parts.
- Coronal plane separates the body into front and back sections.
Major Body Regions
- Cranial: skull area.
- Cephalic: head.
- Cervical: neck.
- Axillary: armpit.
- Brachial: arm.
- Carpal: wrist.
- Femoral: thigh.
- Patellar: knee.
- Crural: leg.
- Frontal: forehead.
- Mental: chin.
- Buccal: cheek.
- Pollex: thumb.
- Coxal: hip.
- Gluteal: buttock.
- Acromial: shoulder.
- Plantar: sole of foot.
- Calcaneal: heel.
Body Cavities
- Cranial cavity contains the brain within the skull.
- Spinal cavity runs through vertebrae and contains the spinal cord.
- Orbital cavity holds the eyeballs.
- Nasal cavity is behind the nose.
- Buccal cavity is behind the mouth.
- Thoracic cavity lies above the diaphragm and is bound by the rib cage.
- Abdominal cavity is below the diaphragm.
- Pelvic cavity is within the hip bones.
- Vertebral Canal is the spinal cord cavity
Abdominal Regions and Quadrants
- Right/Left Upper Quadrants: upper halves of abdomen.
- Right/Left Lower Quadrants: lower halves of abdomen.
- Right/Left Hypochondriac: upper side regions.
- Epigastric: upper middle region.
- Right/Left Lumbar: middle side regions.
- Umbilical: center region.
- Hypogastric: lower middle region.
- Right/Left inguinal region: lower side region.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Anterior — toward the front of the body
- Posterior — toward the back of the body
- Superior — upward/toward the head
- Inferior — downward/away from the head
- Medial — toward the body's midline
- Lateral — away from the midline
- Proximal — closer to point of attachment
- Distal — farther from point of attachment
- Midsagittal Plane — divides body into equal right and left halves
- Transverse Plane — divides body into upper and lower parts
- Coronal Plane — divides body into front and back