First day of School!!
The Musician's Health & Movement Institute
Standard Anatomical Position - standing upright, legs together, arms supinated
All terms, planes, and movements refer back to this position
Anatomical Directions & Terms
anterior or ventral - from, in, or toward the front
posterior or dorsal - from, in, or toward the back
superior - above or upwards
inferior - below or downwards
medial - toward the midline
lateral - toward the side
proximal - closer to the body, proximal interphalangeal joint
distal - away from the body, distal interphalangeal joint
superficial - near the surface of the body
deep - further into the body
plantar - sole of the foot
palmar - palm of the hand
dorsal - back surface
dorsum - back, often used to describe the back of the hand or foot
dorsi - back, as in latissimus dorsi
Planes of the Body
sagittal plane - bisects the body symmetrically, left to right
sagittal movements travel along this plane (curl into a ball)
trunk flexion - bow to your audience
trunk extension - back bend
elbow flexion - bicep curl
elbow extension - returning to standard anatomical position
knee flexion - hamstring curl
knee extension - returning to standard anatomical position
palmarflexion or flexion of the wrist - toward the palm (toward the keyboard)
dorsiflexion or extension of the wrist - toward the dorsum (away from the keyboard)
plantarflexion or flexion of the ankle - toward the plantar (toward the pedal)
dorsiflexion or extension of the ankle - toward the dorsum (away from the pedal)
coronal plane - divides the body between anterior and posterior
coronal movements travel along this plane (snow angels)
abduction of the leg or arm - moving limbs away from the body
abduction of the leg or arm - moving limbs away from the body
adduction of the leg or arm - moving limbs back towards the body
lateral flexion of the spine - reaching sideways and to the ground
ankle inversion - plantars face one another
ankle eversion - plantars face away from one another
transverse plane - Penn & Teller sawing a person in half
transverse movements are the only movements that twist or rotate (owl head)
rotation of the spine
rotation of the hip joint
rotation of the knee joint
wrist supination - ulna and radius parallel
wrist pronation - ulna and radius cross
Other
ankle supination requires ankle inversion, plantarflexion, and adduction
ankle pronation requires ankle eversion, dorsiflexion, and abduction
scapulae - floating bones along the back that connect the clavicle and humerus
scapulae motions
elevation - upwards
depression - downwards
retraction - medial, toward one another
protraction - lateral, away from one another
upward rotation - as the arm abducts in the coronal plane
downward rotation - as the arm adducts in the coronal plane
