ANATOMICAL POSITION

AND DIRECTIONAL
TERMS
BSED Filipino 1st year Presentation
 ANATOMICAL POSITION
WHAT IS IT, SIGNIFICANCE, REGIONS,
PLANES, AND MORE
Anatomical position, or standard anatomical position, refers to the
specific body orientation used when describing an individual’s anatomy.
Standard anatomical position of the human body consists of
the body standing upright and facing forward with the legs parallel to
one another. The upper limbs, or arms, hang at either side and the
palms face forward.
 Ifthe body is lying flat instead of standing upright, with the same
positioning of the limbs, it is known as the supine position.

WHAT IS ANATOMICAL POSITION?

WHY IS ANATOMICAL POSITION
IMPORTANT?
Standard anatomical position provides a clear and
consistent way of describing human anatomy and
physiology. When assessing an individual’s anatomy,
many anatomical terms are used to describe the
relative positioning of various appendages in relation
to the standardized position. Such terms include
posterior or dorsal, which means towards the back of
the body, or proximal and distal, which describe how
close or far away something is, respectively. The
standard anatomical position creates clear points of
reference which help to avoid confusion when using
anatomical terms.
 The five regions of the body include the head, neck, torso, upper
extremities, and lower extremities. The head region includes the skull
and face. The torso, also called the trunk, consists of the chest,
abdomen, and pelvis. The upper extremities include the arms, armpits,
and shoulders. Finally, the lower extremities consist of the legs,
buttocks, thighs, knees, ankles, and feet. Dividing the body into these
regions makes locating and describing a specific part of
the body easier. For example, when describing the relative location of
the heart, it is said to be in the torso region of the body.

WHAT ARE THE FIVE REGIONS OF

THE BODY?
The three planes of the body are the sagittal plane, the coronal plane, and
the transverse plane. These planes are imaginary reference points that divide
the body into various sections in order to help describe relative anatomy. 
The sagittal plane is a vertical plane that travels down the middle of the
human body and divides the body into right and left portions. The coronal
plane runs vertically through the side of the body, dividing it into the front of
the body (anterior) and the back of the body (posterior). The transverse (or
axial) plane runs horizontally, separating the top half of the body from the
bottom half.

WHAT ARE THE THREE PLANES OF

THE BODY?
 Anatomical position, or standard anatomical position, refers to the positioning of
the body when it is standing upright and facing forward with each arm hanging on
either side of the body, and the palms facing forward. The legs are parallel, with
feet flat on the floor and facing forward. The anatomical position is a standard
point of reference commonly used in human anatomy and physiology when
describing certain anatomical terms and positions. The five regions of the body are
the head, neck, torso, upper extremities, and lower extremities. The body is also
divided by three imaginary planes known as the sagittal plane, coronal plane,
and transverse plane. The sagittal plane runs vertically and divides the body into
right and left portions. The coronal plane runs vertically, separating the body into a
front and a back half. Finally, the transverse plane runs horizontally and separates
the body into a top and a bottom half.
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS TO
KNOW ABOUT ANATOMICAL POSITION?
DIRECTIONAL TERMS
 Directional terms are words used to
describe the location of an anatomical
structure by comparing its position to
other structures within the body or
within the orientation of the body itself.

WHAT IS DIRECTIONAL TERMS?

 Directional terms provide comparison
of anatomical position by comparing
the locations of different structures in
the body.

KEY POINTS?
 Directional terms provide precise descriptions
of a structure’s location. They allow a
description of anatomical position by
comparing location relative to other structures
or within the rest of the body. Standard
anatomical terms for direction include:

NAVIGATING ANATOMY WITH LANGUAGE

 Superiorand inferior (cranial and caudal) are used
when referring to parts of the body which are
toward an end of the body. Superior structures are
toward the head (cranial) while inferior (caudal)
structures are toward the feet. Examples include
the superior and inferior vena cava, which carry
deoxygenated blood away from the head (superior)
and from the lower body (inferior) to the heart.
 Anteriorand posterior are sometimes used in place
of superior and inferior, respectively. These words
are used more often for animal anatomy and rarely
and only with very specific meaning in human
anatomy. Anterior refers to the side of the
structure facing up in the standard anatomical
position while posterior refers to the bottom side.
For example, the pituitary gland has an anterior
and posterior side, each of which secretes different
types of hormones.
 Dorsaland ventral are sometimes used in place of
anterior and posterior, respectively. Dorsal means
the back side or upper side, while ventral means
the frontal or lower side. These are mostly used
with animal anatomy, but can be used in human
anatomy as long as they are describing the side of
an appendage. One example is the dorsal fin in fish,
found on the upper side of the fish’s body.
 Lateralis used to describe anything closer to the
sides of the body (toward the arms, in the standard
anatomical position), whilemedial is used to
describe anything toward the middle of the body.
In general, many structures of the human body are
bilateral and symmetrical with the middle of the
body, such as the lungs or the arms.
 Deep refers to structures closer to the interior
center of the body. For example, bones in an
appendage are located deeper than the muscles.
Superficial is used to describe structures that are
closer to the exterior surface of the body. For
example, the outer layers of skin are superficial to
deeper layers of skin.
 Proximaland Distal describe one point relative to
another. Proximal refers to a point closer to the
reference point while distal refers to a point farther
away. When describing appendages, the proximal
end of the appendage connects the appendage to
the body, while the distal end is away from the
body.