2 Getting Your Bearings

Anatomical Position, Planes and Axes

Anatomical Position

Anatomical Position is a reference position in which the body is upright with the arms at the sides and the palms facing forward. Because the human body can move in 3-dimensional space and the limbs can move with respect to the body,  a standardized reference position is used to describe direction of motion  Anatomical terms such as anterior/posterior and medial lateral for example are used in reference to anatomical position.

Anatomical position- body is upright, arms at the side and palms facing forward (supinate)

Planes of motion

From anatomical position, the body is divided into three planes.  The saggital plane, also called the midsaggital plane is an imaginary plane through the middle of the body dividing the body into left and right halves.  The frontal plane divides the body into front and back halves.  The transverse plane is a horizontal plane that cuts through the body at the waist and divides the body into upper and lower halves.

Saggital Plane Motions

Movements that take place in the Saggital plane
about an axis that is directed mediolaterally are:

Flexion and Extension at neck, spine, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, fingers, thumb, hip, knee, ankle (dorsi/plantar flexion), toes

Frontal Plane Motions

Movements that take place in the Frontal plane about an axis that is directed anteroposteriorly are:

Abduction/Adduction: Shoulder, Wrist (radial and ulnar deviation)
Thumb, Fingers, Hip, Toes

Lateral Flexion: Neck, Spine

Transverse Plane Motions

Movements that take place in the Transverse Plane
about longitudinal axis are:

Rotation: shoulder and hip internal and
external rotation; trunk and neck rotation (right and left)

Horizontal flexion and extension: shoulder and hip