Question

Explain why it is important for you to understand the different body directions and planes in reference to the Muscular and Skeletal Systems. Please post an example\scenario describing location of bones or muscles using body directions. You may use quadrants, body cavities (abdominal, cranial, etc.), directional planes (frontal, sagittal, transverse) and/or (superior\inferior).

Answer 1

Body directions are helpful to locate the different body structures. The body directions and planes describe the terms with accuracy and consistency. It is derived from Latin and Greek word. These common terms are understood by the various medical professionals so that the meaning does not change. This will reduce the medical errors. The body is upright in the anatomical position. Supine refers the body is lying down with face up. Prone is defined as the body is lying with face down.  

Body directions:

Uses the specific term to locate the body structure. Sometimes several terms are grouped together in pairs.

Directional term	Meaning	Example
Anterior or ventral	Nearer to or at the front of the body.	The sternum is anterior to vertebrae.
Posterior or dorsal	Nearer to or at the back of the body.	The heart is posterior to the sternum.
Superior	Toward the head or the upper structure	The skull is superior to the scapulae.
Inferior	Away from the head or the lower structure.	The stomach is inferior to the lungs.
Medial	Nearer to the midline.	The ulna is medial to the radius.
Lateral	Farer from the midline.	The humerus is lateral to the heart.
Proximal	Nearer to the point of attachment to a limb, or origin of a body part.	The humerus is proximal to the radius.
Distal	Farther from the attachment of the limb, or origin of a body part.	The fibula is distal to the femur.

Planes:

Planes are the imaginary flat surfaces that pass through the body part. Most commonly used planes in anatomy are

Planes	Meaning
Saggital plane	It is a vertical plane that divides the body into left and right.
Frontal or coronal plane	It divides the body into the anterior or posterior portions(front and back).
Transverse plane	It divides the body into superior or inferior portions (upper and lower).
Oblique Plane	It is a slanted plane that lies between horizontal or vertical.

Body cavities:

The organs that make up the systems of the body are contained in four cavities

Dorsal or posterior cavity:

• Cranial
• Pelvic cavity

Ventral or anterior cavity:

• Thoracic cavity
• abdominal cavity

Quadrants:

Quadrants are used to locate the exact location of the abdominal regions. For EX The abdomen is divided into nine regions to locate the exact pain.

Right hypochondriac region	epigastric region	Left hypochondriac region
Right lumbar region	Umbilical	Left lumbar region
Right iliac region	Hypogastric	Left iliac region.