What is a Body Plane??
Body planes are imaginary lines drawn through
the body at various parts to seperate the body
into sections. There are 3 main body planes:
transverse, midsagittal and frontal.
Transverse Plane
A horizontal plane that div|ides the body into a top & bottom half.Body parts can be all over the place! The body parts that are above other parts are called Superior. Body parts below other parts are Inferior.
Midsagittal Plane
Always remember the midsagittal plane/ median plane divides the body into left & rightsides!!! There are alot of body parts but the ones that are close to the midline, are known as the Medial. Body parts aren't always close to the midline, they can be away from the midline,which would be called Lateral.
Frontal/Coronal Plane
Front & Back are the two main words you need to remember when trying to figure out what is the Frontal Plane. Body parts that are in the front of the plane can be called Ventral or Anterior. The back of the body is called Dorsal or Posterior.
Directional Terms
Proximal and distal are two other directional terms that let you know where the extemities are. (arms & Legs). They can also be called the point of reference.
Body Cavities
What are body cavities??? NO, I'm not talking about going to the dentist and having cavities in your teeth!! I'm talkin about parts in YOUR body where YOUR organs are hanging out, relaxing, and chilling! The dorsal cavity is in the back of your body which is divided into two sections: the cranial cavity and the spinal cavity. Your cranial cavity contains the nucleus...which is your brain! In the spinal cavity you have your spinal cord! The ventral cavitites are wayyyyyy bigger in size than your dorsal cavity! Did you know that this cavity, the ventral cavity, is seperated into TWO distinct cavites by a dome-shaped muscle, which is called the diaphargm?? (important for respiration/breathing) Do you know where your lungs, heart, bronchi and large blood vessels are hanging out at? No? They are chilling in your Thoracic cavity,which is located in your chest! The abdominal cavity is divided into an upper and lower part. The upper abdominal cavity is where your stomach, liver, pancreas, small intestine and most of the large intestine hang out. The lower abdominal cavity/ pelvic cavity is where your urinary bladder, reproductive organs and the last part of the large intestines hang out at.
You have 3 small cavities that are called orbital..which is for the eyes, nasal.. which is for your NOSE and buccal which is for your teeth and tongue!
Abdominal Regions
Your abdominal cavity is so large that it is divided into regions or sections. They are divided into QUADRANTS.. You have a Right upper quadrant (RUQ), Left upper quadrant (LUQ), Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ) and the Left Lower Quadrant (LUQ). WAIT! There is ANOTHER method of division which is into nine abdominal regions! The center regions are the epigastric (above the stomach), umbilical (near the belly button), and hypogastric/pelvic (below the stomach). On each side of the center the regions are hypochondriac (below the ribs), lumbar (near the large bones of the spinal cord, and iliac which is near the groin.
COOL FACT: ALL THESE TERMS ARE USED A LOT IN THE STUDY OF HUMAN ANATOMY!!
