e-ANATOMY: PLANES AND MOTIONS USED IN ANATOMY

This module presents 11 anatomical diagrams illustrating the planes of anatomy, the anatomical position and the different types of movements of upper and lower limbs.
This anatomy course element is designed for students of medicine and paramedical studies.
This short module is essential in the introduction to the study of human anatomy, as the representations, diagrams, illustrations and anatomical descriptions are based on very precise concepts and definitions of the orientation of the human body in space.

Anatomical position of reference

Body upright, arms and forearms to the side, palms facing forward, thumbs apart, looking straight ahead with the bottom edges of the orbits and the upper edges of the external auditory meatus following a horizontal line (Frankfurt line).

Standard anatomical position : Diagram

Anatomical planes

There are three main section planes in anatomy:

• Frontal or coronal plan: separates the anterior and posterior parts.
• Sagittal plane (sagittal median = passes through the middle of the body and divides it into two equal parts left and right): separates the lateral and medial or right and left parts.
• Transverse  or horizontal or axial plane: separating the upper and lower parts.

Planes - Human anatomy

Terms of localisation

• Anterior (or ventral): from the front of the body.
• Posterior (or dorsal): from behind the body.
• Upper: from the top of the body.
• Lower: from the bottom of the body.
• Lateral and medial: respectively away from or towards the midline.
• Palmar and dorsal: for the diagrams of the hand.
• Plantar and dorsal: for the diagrams of the foot.
• Cranial and caudal: equal to the upper and lower.
• Proximal and distal: respectively closer and further away from the element of interest (for the upper and lower limbs, always with respect to the root of the limb).
• Median: located in the midline.

The different types of movement

• Pronation supination

Pronation/Supination : Drawings

• Abduction adduction

Movements - Anatomy : Abduction, Adduction

• Inversion / eversion

Inversion/Eversion : Movements

• Lateral / medial rotation or external / internal

Lateral rotation; External rotation / Medial rotation; Internal rotation (Anatomical illustrations : Movements)

• Antepulsion / retropulsion

Protraction/Retraction (Anatomy: Movements) : Medical illustrations

• Flexion / extension

Flexion / Extension - Plantar flexion / Dorsiflexion (Human anatomy : Movements)

• Circumduction: movement in three spatial planes

Circumduction : Anatomical illustrations

• Abduction - Abductio
• Adduction - Adductio
• Anatomical structures - Anatomical parts
• Anterior - Anterior
• Arteries - Arteriae
• Arteries of upper limb - Arteriae membri superioris
• Back to image index - Back to image index
• Bones of upper limb - Ossa membri superioris
• Bones; Skeletal system - Ossa; Systema skeletale
• Caudal - Caudalis
• Circumduction - Circumductio
• Coronal - Coronalis
• Cross sections - Cross sections
• Distal - Distalis
• Dorsal - Dorsalis
• Dorsiflexion - Dorsiflexio
• Eversion - Eversion
• Extension - Extensio
• Fascia - Fasciae - Tendon sheaths and bursae - Vaginae tendinum et bursae
• Flexion - Flexio
• Illustrations - Illustrations
• Inferior - Inferior
• Inversion - Inversion
• Joint - Junctura
• Joints of free upper limb - Juncturae membri superioris liberi
• Lateral - Lateralis
• Lateral rotation; External rotation - Rotatio externa; Exorotatio; Rotatio lateralis
• Left - Sinister
• Ligaments - Ligamenta
• Lymph node - Nodus lymphoideus; Nodus lymphaticus; Lymphonodus
• Lymph nodes of upper limb - Nodi lymphoidei membri superioris
• Medial - Medialis
• Medial rotation; Internal rotation - Rotatio interna; Endorotatio; Rotatio medialis
• Movements - Movements
• Muscles of upper limb - Musculi membri superioris
• Muscles; Muscular system - Musculi; Systema musculare
• Nerves - Nerves
• Palmar; Volar - Palmaris; Volaris
• Peripheral nervous system - Pars peripherica; Systema nervosum periphericum
• Planes, lines and regions - Planeas, lineae et regiones
• Plantar - Plantaris
• Plantar flexion - Plantar flexio
• Posterior - Posterior
• Pronation - Pronatio
• Protraction - Protractio
• Proximal - Proximalis
• Retraction - Retractio
• Right - Dexter
• Sagittal - Sagittalis
• Superior - Superior
• Supination - Supinatio
• Tendon - Tendo
• Transverse - Transversus
• Veins - Venae
• Veins of upper limb - Venae membri superioris