Study sheet: Introduction to Anatomy

📋 Course Outline

1. Purpose and Anatomical Position
2. Body Planes and Axes
3. Directional Anatomical Terms
4. Movements of the Body

📖 1. Purpose and Anatomical Position

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Anatomy : the study of body structure and the relationships between its parts
• Anatomical position : standing with the feet parallel, facing forwards, the arms by the sides, and the palms facing forwards

★ Must-know

• A good knowledge of anatomical terms enables healthcare providers to communicate accurately nationally and internationally.

• Anatomical knowledge allows healthcare providers to describe the exact location of normal or diseased body parts and record abnormalities.

Further detail

• Anatomical knowledge is required for surgical intervention.

💡 Memory Hook

Stand upright, face forward, arms by the sides, palms forward.

📖 2. Body Planes and Axes

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Sagittal plane : divides the body into right and left halves
• Coronal plane : divides the body into front and back parts
• Transverse plane : divides the body into upper and lower parts

📝 Essential Points

• The coronal plane moves around a sagittal axis, the transverse plane moves around a vertical axis, and the sagittal plane moves around a coronal axis.

💡 Memory Hook

Planes divide the body; axes describe the rotation around which movement occurs.

📖 3. Directional Anatomical Terms

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Anterior and posterior : Anterior means toward or in front of the body, whereas posterior means toward or behind the body.
• Medial and lateral : Medial means closer to the midline, whereas lateral means further away from the midline.
• Superior and inferior : Superior means above or on top of another structure, whereas inferior means below or underneath it.
• Proximal and distal : Proximal means nearer to the trunk, whereas distal means further from the trunk.
• Superficial and deep : Superficial means closer to the body surface, whereas deep means further from the body surface.

💡 Memory Hook

Medial is toward the midline, whereas lateral is away from it.

📖 4. Movements of the Body

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Flexion and extension : Movement of a body part forwards is generally called flexion, whereas movement backwards is generally called extension.
• Abduction and adduction : Movement of a body part away from the midline is generally called abduction, whereas movement toward the midline is called adduction.
• Rotation : Rotation outwards is called lateral or external rotation, whereas rotation inwards is called medial or internal rotation.
• Supination and pronation : Supination rotates the arm so that the palm faces up, whereas pronation rotates the arm so that the palm faces down.
• Inversion and eversion : Inversion turns the sole of the foot inward toward the midline, whereas eversion moves the sole away from the midline.
• Circumduction : Circumduction combines the four movements described in the course and produces a circular movement of a limb.
• Dorsiflexion and plantar flexion : Dorsiflexion involves standing on the heel, whereas plantar flexion involves standing on the toes.

💡 Memory Hook

Inversion turns the sole inward, whereas eversion turns it outward.

📊 Synthesis Tables

Anatomical Planes

Plane	Division	Associated axis
Sagittal	Right and left halves	Coronal axis
Coronal (frontal)	Front and back parts	Sagittal axis
Transverse (horizontal)	Upper and lower parts	Vertical axis