Teacher’s Gurukul

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Anatomical Position

• Standing erect, with palms and feet

facing forward
• Is the standard reference point in
which all positions, movements, and
planes are described

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Positions and Directions

Terms of position and direction

Terminology describe the position of one body
part relative to another, usually
Anatomical Position, Directional Terms and Movements
along one of the three major
body planes
 Positions and Directions

Superior
• Refers to a structure being closer
to the head or higher than
another structure in the body

Inferior
• Refers to a structure being closer
to the feet or lower than another
structure in the body

Positions and Directions

Anterior
• Refers to a structure being more in front
than another structure in the body

Posterior
• Refers to a structure being more in back
than another structure in the body
 Positions and Directions Distal / Proximal
• When you divide the skeleton into Axial (Blue)
and Appendicular (Yellow) you can better
Medial understand the extremities and their roots.
• Refers to a structure being
closer to the midline or median Proximal
plane of the body than another
structure of the body Distal

Lateral
• Refers to a structure being
farther away from the midline than
another structure of the body

Positions and Directions Positions and Directions

Distal
(Reference to the extremities only) Superficial
• Refers to a structure being • Refers to a structure being
further away from the root of closer to the surface of the
the limb than another body than another structure
structure in the limb

Proximal Deep
(Reference to the extremities only) • Refers to a structure being
• Refers to a structure being closer to the core of the body
closer to the root of the limb than another structure
than another structure in that
limb
 Positions and Directions
•
•
Flexion
Extension
Movements
• Hyperextension
• Adduction
• Abduction
• Prontaion
Ventral • Dorsiflexion
• Plantarflexion
• Towards the front or belly • Radial Deviation
• You Vent out or your nose and mouth. • Ulnar Deviation
• Opposition
• Supination
• Retraction
• Protraction
Dorsal • Elevation
•
• Towards the back •
Depression
Rotation
•
• Like the Dorsal fin of a dolphin. Circumduction
• External Rotation
• Internal Rotation
• Inversion
• Eversion

Positions and Directions

Prone
• Lying face down

• Like a Pro Baseball player sliding into Home.

Supine
• Lying face up
• Lying on your spine and you can have soup poured into your mouth.
Unilateral
• Pertaining to one side of the body

Bilateral
• Pertaining to both sides of the body
 Movements
Flexion
• Bending a joint or decreasing the
angle between two bones
• In the Fetal Position we are flexing
our joints

Extension
• Straightening a joint or increasing the
angle between two bones
• In the Anatomical Position we are extending
our joints

Hyperextension
• Excessive extension of the parts at a
joint beyond anatomical position.

Flexion / Extension / Hyperextension

 Movements

Adduction
• Moving a body part towards the
midline of the body

Abduction
• Moving a body part away from the
midline of the body
 Movements

 Pronation
 Turning the arm or foot downward
 (palm or sole of the foot - down)
 Prone

 Supination
 Turning the arm or foot upward
 (palm or sole of the foot - up)
 Supine
 Movements Movements
Rotation
Retraction
• Turning on a single axis
• Moving a part backward
Circumduction
Protraction • Tri-planar, circular motion
at the hip or shoulder
• Moving a part forward
Internal rotation
Elevation • Rotation of the hip or
shoulder toward the
• Raising a part midline

Depression External rotation

• Lowering a part • Rotation of the hip or
shoulder away from the
midline
 Movements of the Foot Inversion
• Turning the sole of
the foot inward

Eversion
• Turning the sole of
the foot outward
Dorsiflexion
• Ankle movement
bringing the foot
towards the shin
Plantarflexion
• Ankle movement
pointing the foot
downward

Movements

Lateral Flexion
• Side-bending left or right
Movements of the Wrist & Thumb Radial Deviation

• Movement of the wrist towards the radius or

lateral side.

Ulnar Deviation
• Movement of the wrist towards the ulna or
medial side.

Opposition
• Movement of the thumb across the palm of
the hand.

Additional Range of Motion