SOME WILL COME ON TOP, SOME NOT!
Posterior (rear) view of a human in the anatomical position
In motion analysis and anatomy we use the anatomical position to describe relative locations of body parts. We use the directions upward, downward, outward, inwards, forward, and backwards to describe relative locations of body parts, while using correlating professional terms for each one. Another two optional terms used at times are superficial and deep. Everything is always compared to the anatomical position as our "relative zero".
Superior (Cranial) - the closer a part or location of the body is to the sky, the more superior or cranial it is
Inferior (Caudal) - the closer a part or location of the body is to the ground, the more inferior or caudal it is
Medial - the closer a part or location of the body is to the middle of the body (between the left and right edges of the body), the more medial it is
Lateral - the closer a part or location of the body is to the left or right edges of the body, the more lateral it is
Anterior (Ventral) - the closer a part or location of the body is to the front of the body (between the back and front edges of the body), the more anterior or ventral it is
Posterior (Dorsal) - the closer a part or location of the body is to the back of the body (between the back and front edges of the body), the more posterior or dorsal it is
Proximal - the closer a part or location of the body is to the center of the body or point of attachment (relative to a limb), the more proximal it is
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Distal - the farther away a part or location of the body is from the center of the body or point of attachment (relative to a limb), the more distal it is
Axial - refers to all parts of the trunk and head together
Appendicular - Anything that is not axial; includes the arms, hands, legs, and feet
Bilateral - refers to structures of the body that we have in pair, one on each side of the body
Contralateral - refers to structures on opposite sides of the body, rather if we have two or more of them, or not
Ipsilateral - refers to structures on the same side of the body, rather if we have two or more of them, or not
Superficial (External) - refers to a part or location of the body that is closer to the skin
Deep (Internal) - refers to a part or location of the body that is farther away from the skin
Midline (Median) - an imaginary line that crosses the body from head to the floor, right down the middle of the body; Also known as the vertical axis of the body
Palmar - Anterior hand or palm of hand (palmar); The part of the hand that faces the front (in the anatomical position)
Plantar - Inferior surface of foot (sole); The part of the foot the is in touch with the ground
Examples:
The head is superior to the neck
The ankle is inferior to the knee
The bellybutton is medial to the hand
The shoulder is lateral to the neck
The nose is anterior to the ears
The eyes are posterior to the nose
The elbow is proximal to the fingers
The toes are distal to the knee
The chest is an axial part of the body
The forearm is an appendicular part of the body
The hands and legs are bilateral body parts
The right hand is contralateral to the left hand
The right hand and right foot are ipsilateral
The skin is superficial to the muscles
The heart is deeper than the pectoralis major muscle
We grab things with our palmar aspect of the hand
We walk on our plantar aspect of our feet
The nose and bellybutton are "located" on the midline of the body
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