Anatomical terminologies and planes of movement

• anterior/ventral

  front
• posterior/dorsal


  back
• lateral


  from the side
• sagittal (or longitudinal) plane


  divides the body into right and left parts (e.g. knee joint)
• horizontal (or transverse) plane

  divides the body into superior and interior parts (e.g. the skull)
• frontal (or coronal) plane


  divides the body into front and back (e.g. thorax)
• anatomical midline


  an imaginary vertical line that divides the body equally (right down the middle)
• flexion


  bending a joint
• extention


  straightening a joint
• abduction


  movement away from the midline of the body
• adduction


  movement towards the midline of the body
• circumduction 


  movement of a body region in a circular manner, a combined movement
• medial rotation


  movement towards the midline of the body
• lateral rotation


  movement away from the midline of the body
• elevation / depression

  scapula
• protraction / retraction

  scapula
• plantarflexion


  movement where the foot points down away from the leg
• dorsiflexion


  movement where the foot comes up towards the leg
• inversion


  movement of the sole of the foot towards the midline of the body
• eversion


  movement of the sole of the foot away from the midline of the foot
• proximal


  closer to the origin
• distal


  further away from the origin
• axial skeleton


  head (cephalic), neck (cervical), chest and trunk (thoracic), lumbar and pelvis
• appendicular skeleton - contains the appendages


  upper limbs, lower limbs