ANATOMICAL POSITIONS

• Anatomical Positions

  • Standing upright
  • Head and eyes directed straight ahead
  • Upper limbs at the sides
  • Upper limbs slightly away from trunk
  • Palms facing forward
  • Thumbs pointing away from body
  • Lower limbs parallel
  • Feet flat on the ground and facing forward
• Midline is the imaginary vertical line down the middle of the body
• Medial - toward the midline of the body
• Lateral - toward the side of the body or away from the midline
• Superior or Cranial - above or toward the head
• Inferior or Caudal - below or away from the head
• Anterior - toward the front of the body
• Posterior - toward the back of the body
• Anterior is also called ventral
• Posterior is also called Dorsal
• Proximal - toward the trunk, near the origin
• Distal - away from the trunk, far from the origin