Tutorial 104 - Three Anatomical Planes
Added 2016-04-15 06:58:33 +0000 UTCAnatomists have developed a system to refer to the position of body structures, and angular and rotational movements of the joints. Anatomical planes are used to describe these location and movements in reference to the central axis of the body.
It's important to know this system refers to a body standing upright with palms facing forwards.
This tutorial is to simply illustrate the terms used in this system, though we will go into a little more detail in upcoming tutorials.
For now, here's a basic description of the planes.
Sagittal Plane Also named lateral plane. This plane deals with forward and backward movements of the torso, head and limbs. Any movements along the sagittal plane are called flexion and extension.
Coronal Plane Also named frontal plane. This plane deals with side-to-side movements of the torso, head and limbs. Movements of the limbs along the coronal plane are called adduction and abduction.
Transverse PlaneAlso called axial or horizontal plane. This plane deals with rotations of the torso, head and limbs.
