Health Essentials: Anatomical and Muscle Positions, Terms, Movements, and Space Made Simple

Why even bother knowing about body movements, space, and directions?
Having a reference of our body relative to space allows us to understand a more structured language on being able to voluntarily manipulate our body movement.

What are the basic fundamentals?
With anatomical position, we assume that our body is standing and erect. The feet are parallel to the shoulder, with the arms hanging. It also assumes extended elbows and fingers with the palms facing forward.

The following is a quick breakdown of key “lines” and “planes” to understand:
· Midline – line that cuts the body down the center
· Sagittal Plane - divides the body into right and left halves, which passes through the anterior and posterior
· Frontal Plane - vertical plane that divides the body into the belly (ventral) and back (dorsal) regions
· Transverse Plane – perpendicular to the frontal and sagittal, divides the body between top (superior) and bottom          (inferior) regions
· Axillary Lines – The line references around the arm pits. The axillary line that divides both halves of the body is the  midaxillary line. In front of the mid is the “anterior axillary line” and behind is the “posterior axillary line”.

The following is a quick breakdown of key positional terms to understand:
· Anterior – to place in front
· Posterior – to place behind or rear
· Proximal – nearest point to the origin
· Distal – farthest point from the origin
· Medial – near the center which divides a person into halves
· Ipsilateral – same side of the body
· Contralateral – Opposite side of the body
· Lateral – extension from the medium plane of the
· Superficial – low distance relative to a surface
· Deep – inward extension relative to a surface

The following is a quick breakdown of key movement terms to understand the language of body movements:
· Flexion – to bend and move the limbs anteriorly to the midaxillary line
· Lateral Flexion – spinal movements to the left or right from the neck and trunk
· Dorsi Flexion – Movement of the foot towards the shin
· Extension – To straighten and move the limbs posteriorly to the midaxillary line
· Retraction – Move back to “anatomical position”
· Protraction – movement towards the anterior region of a horizontal line
· Supination – rotation of the forearm, with palms facing up and anteriorly
· Pronation – rotation of the forearm where palms face down and posteriorly
· Eversion – Turning the ankle where the plantar surface is laterally positioned
· Inversion – Turning the ankle where the plantar surface is medially positioned
· Adduction – Movement to the midline
· Abduction – Movement from the midline
· Horizontal Adduction – movement to the midline in the transverse plane
· Horizontal Abduction – movement from the midline in the transverse plane
· Circumduction – combination of flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction. Typically the distal end of the joint movement is circular while the proximal end is fixed
· Elevation – movement to the superior (top)
· Depression – movement to the inferior (bottom)
· Rotation – turning around a long axis
· External Rotation – rotation away from the body from anatomical position
· Internal Rotation – rotation towards the body from anatomical positon
· Radial and Ulnar Deviation – Radial deviation is a joint movement from the wrist that causes the hand to move toward  the thumb in the frontal plane; Ulnar causes the movement medially toward the little finger to the frontal plane.

Breakdown of muscles and typical movement functions:
Hip Region
· Psoas Major (Hip Muscle) – Hip Thigh Flexion
· Iliacus (Hip Muscle)– Hip Thigh Flexion and Medial Rotation
· Gluteus Maximus – Thigh Extension, Adduction, Lateral Rotation
· Gluteus Medius and Minimus and Tensor Fascia Latae (by the “v-cut” region)– Thigh abduction and Medial Rotation
· Piriformis and Quadratus Femoris – Thigh lateral rotation and Abduction

Knee Region
· Rectus Femoris (Quadriceps Muscle)– Leg Extension and Thigh Flexion
· Sartorius (longest muscle of the human body that runs from the thigh to the knee)– Hip and Leg Flexion; Medial Leg  Rotation; Lateral Thigh Rotation
· Vastus Lateralis, Intermedius, and Medialis (Quadriceps Muscles) – Leg Extension
· Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus (The Hamstring Muscles) – Thigh Extension; Leg Flexion; Lateral    Leg Rotation (Biceps Femoris) and Medial Leg Rotation (for the other two)
· Adductor Brevis and Longus – Thigh Adduction, Flexion, and Lateral Rotation
· Adductor Magnus – Thigh Adduction, Extension, and Lateral Rotation
· Pectineus (Above the Sartorius) – Thigh Adduction and Flexion

Shoulder Region
· Deltoids (Delts) – Humerus Horizontal Abduction, Flexion, Extension and Rotation
· Latissimus Dorsi (Lats) – Humerus Adduction, Medial Rotation, and Extension
· Pectoralis (Pecs) Major – Humerus Horizontal Adduction, Flexion, Extension, Medial Rotation
· Teres  Major (west to the triceps bracchi) – Humerus Adduction, Extension, Medial Rotation
· Teres Minor (northeast of the teres major)– Humerus Adduction and External Rotation
· Coracobrachialis (in the anterior arm) – Humerus Adduction and Flexion
· Infraspinatus (north of the teres minor)– Humerus Extension and External Rotation
· Subscapularis (near the deltoid) – Humerus Extension and Internal Rotation
· Supraspinatus (north of the infraspinatus) – Humerus Abduction
· Trapezius (Traps) – Elevation, Depression, Rotation, and Scapula Support; Neck Extension
· Rhomboid (Wings) – Retraction, Rotation, and Scapula Support
· Pectoralis Minor – Scapula Depression
· Levator Scapulae (above the traps, behind the clavicle) – Scapula elevation and retraction; neck abduction

Elbow Region
· Biceps Brachii, Brachialis (below biceps brachii), and Brachioradialis (adjacent to the bicep bracchi and elbow) – Arm    Flexion
· Triceps Brachii (Tri’s) – Arm extension

Wrist Region
· Flexor Carpi Radialis – Wrist Flexion and Abduction
· Flexor Carpi Ulnaris – Wrist Flexion and Adduction
· Extensor Carpi Radialis – Wrist Extension and Abduction
· Extensor Carpi Ulnaris -  Wrist Extension and Adduction

Trunk Region
· Rectus Abdominis (Abs) – Trunk Flexion
· External and Internal Oblique – Column Flexion and Rotation
· Transverse Abdominis – Abdomen Compression
· Erector Spinae Group – Vertebrae Extension
· Quadratus Lumborum – Vertebrae Abduction

Ankle Region
· Gastrocnemius (Calf Muscle) – Plantar/Foot and Leg Flexion
· Soleus (Calf Muscle) – Plantar/Foot Flexion
· Tibialis Anterior (Shin Muscle) – Dorsi Flexion and Foot Inversion
· Peroneus Tertius – Dorsi Flexion and Foot Eversion
· Peroneus Brevis and Longus (Perpendicular to calf and shin muscles)– Plantar Flexion and Foot Eversion

Final Statement
Knowledge of your movements and anatomical positioning is significant to understanding the human body. Having extensive knowledge to functional anatomy and muscle positioning can help employ new awareness for physical self-sustainment.