HOME > 1.6 - Anatomical Positions

1.6 - Anatomical Positions

Anatomical features of the body are described according to standard anatomical positions and directions. When describing locations in the body, these descriptions assume the body is in the anatomical position:

• Standing erect
• Facing forwards
• Arms at the sides, palms forwards
• Feet on the floor with heels slightly raised

Anatomical directional terms are used to describe the location of anatomical features, and are an important part of learning anatomy.

Here are several common anatomical directional terms:

• Superior – Towards the head (up)
• Inferior – Towards the feet (down)

• Anterior – Towards the front
• Posterior – Towards the back

• Medial – Towards the midline
• Lateral – Going away from the midline

• Intermediate – Between two structures

• Proximal – Towards the point of origin
• Distal – away from the point of origin

• Ipsilateral – on the same side of the body
• Contralateral – on opposite sides of the body

• Superficial – Towards the body surface
• Deep – Away from the body surface

Activity 1.6: Anatomical Directional Terms

Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under
Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

This page is maintained by Learning and Teaching Services. Should you find any errors or omissions, please contact:
Julie Warrington (warrinj@algonquincollege.com) or Melissa Smeltzer (smeltzm@algonquincollege.com)