anatomical position and directional terms

Responses:

1. Click Reply when in a post to nest your responses under that main post. 
2. Your post must be highly organized, thorough and accurate.
3. Advance the discussion or extend discussions already taking place.
4. Responses must add new information not previously discussed. Pose new possibilities or opinions not previously voiced. Consider new factual information tied with critical thinking. Interesting and current research on the topic.
5. Do not simply summarize another student’s post and agree/disagree. Consider starting out posts with, “A research article I found said, Did you know, 3 things I found interesting were…”
6. How to Post: Click Reply when in a post to nest your responses under that main post. 

   The anatomical positions, planes, sections, and cavities are important in the medical communitybecause it’s how the medical professionals describes various internal body parts and the directionalpositions correctly when being used in the medical field. In the anatomical position, the body is erect, thepalms of the hand face forward, the thumbs point away from the body, and the feet are slightly apart (A&P, 2013). The three primary planes are Frontal, Sagittal, and Transverse planes this helps when identifying which plane the medical staff are referring too.  The anatomical planes are then broken down into planes and sections to help the medical community understand the different ways in which the body can be viewed when cut into sections especially when analyzing a specific area in the body. The difference from planes vs sections is that plane implies an imaginary flat surface passing through the body and section implies  an actual cut or slice to reveal internal anatomy (Saladin, 2017, P. 28). For example, in the MRI Department this is very important when analyzing images and using the imaging equipment. 

     Going a little more in depth of mapping the internal anatomical regions known as the body cavities. Cavities of the human body are the spaces left over when internal organs are removed (Lumen Learning). These cavities are known as the cranial, vertebral, thoracic, and abdominopelvic cavities (Saladin, 2017, P. 33). Each of these cavities are broken down into more specific areas, the cranial cavity is associated with the brain and the vertebral with the spinal cord which in conjunction these two cavities work together to protect the nervous tissue from the hard protective bone that enclose it. The thoracic cavity is what covers the internal organs superior to the diaphragm such as the lungs and heart. The abdominopelvic is a combination of the abdominal and pelvic cavity that cover the internal organs such as the digestive organs, spleen, kidneys, bladder, rectum, and reproductive organs. (Saladin, 2017, P. 33). 

     In conclusion, understanding the anatomical position, planes, sections, and cavities in the medical field helps medical professionals to avoid confusion when pinpointing structures and describing locations of regions in the human body.  Knowing all your directional terms makes things clear and also saves times when being in the medical field. 

References:

Anatomy & Physiology. (2013). The Language of Anatomy: anatomical position and directional terms. Retrieved from

Lumen Learning. The Human Body Cavities. Retrieved from  https://courses.lumenlearning.com/ap1x94x1/chapter/the-human-body-cavities

Saladin, K. (2017). Anatomy & Physiology The Unity of Form and Function. New York: McGraw Hill Education. 

Word Count: 387