Review the following terms of anatomical direction:
anterior/posterior
medial/lateral
superior/inferior
proximal/distal
Proximal and distal are a new set of directional
terms that are very useful when considering the anatomy of the
limbs. In anatomy, proximal means close to the center of the body.
Distal means the opposite: further away from the center of the
body. For example: the shoulder is a proximal part of
the arm; the fingertips are distal.
Another useful definition is anatomical position. In anatomical position, the limbs are straight and the palms face anteriorly. Anatomical position is a reference position that can be used to define limb movements (see next week). Anatomical position and the terms of direction are illustrated in the textbook on the front of the page inside the back cover of the print textbook, or search "anatomical position" if you have the digital version of the textbook.
| Bone |
Features |
Notes |
| clavicle |
||
| scapula |
||
| glenoid cavity |
shallow depression for articulation with head
of humerus |
|
| spine |
ridge on posterior side of bone |
|
| humerus |
||
| head |
proximal rounded end; articulates with
scapula |
|
| deltoid tuberosity |
v-shaped rough region in middle of bone;
insertion for deltoid muscle |
|
| olecranon fossa |
depression on posterior side of distal end;
olecranon process fits into it |
|
| medial epicondyle |
large medial projection superior to condyle;
ulnar nerve wraps around it posteriorly |
|
| lateral epicondyle |
lateral projection superior to condyle |
|
| ulna |
||
| olecranon process |
proximal projection that fits into olecranon
fossa |
|
| radius |
||
| radial tuberosity |
anterior rough projection; insertion for
biceps brachii muscle |
| Bone |
Features |
Notes |
| os coxae |
3 fused bones forming hip bone |
|
| acetabulum |
rounded socket that forms articulation with
the head of the femur; pubis, ilium and ischium fuse in
acetabulum |
|
| pubis |
anterior bone of os coxae; two pubic bones
form a joint separated by a fibrocartilage pad called the
pubic symphysis |
|
| ilium |
large flared posterior and superior bone of
os coxae |
|
| ischium |
inferior bone |
|
| ischial tuberosity |
rough inferior region that is site of origin
for hamstring muscles |
|
| femur |
||
| head |
spherical end that articulates with
acetabulum |
|
| neck |
connects head to rest of bone; prone to
fracture in the elderly |
|
| greater trochanter |
large superior and lateral process; insertion
for gluteus medius |
|
| medial condyle |
smooth surface covered with articular
cartilage |
|
| lateral condyle |
smooth surface covered with articular cartilage | |
| patella |
kneecap; a sesamoid bone embedded in the
patellar tendon |
|
| tibia |
||
| medial condyle |
smooth surface covered with articular cartilage | |
| lateral condyle |
smooth surface covered with articular cartilage | |
| tibial tuberosity |
insertion for quadriceps muscles (attachment
of patellar ligament) |
|
| medial malleolus |
medial ankle bone |
|
| fibula |
||
| lateral malleolus |
lateral ankle bone |
|
| calcaneus |
heel bone; insertion for gastrocnemius and
soleus muscles (Achilles tendon attachment) |
These videos from Acland's Video Atlas of Anatomy will provide
you with a chance to see around the bones in three
dimensions. They put the bones in context, and also
introduce you to the movements around joints, which will be a
part of our section on muscle anatomy. The video about the
knee (2nd from bottom) is particularly helpful.
The videos provide much more detail than I plan to cover in this class. I won't be using images from the videos on the quiz section tests. Each link should open the video in a new tab.
"The clavicle and scapula"(4:11) Video 1.1.2
"The shoulder joint and its movements"(1:43) Video 1.1.4
"Bones of the arm and forearm"(3:03) Video 1.2.2
"The hip bone"(2:57) Video 2.1.2
"The femur"(1:29) Video 2.1.3
"Bony features of the knee joint"(3:13) Video 2.2.1 This video is particularly useful.
"Bones and ligaments of the ankle joints"(4:14) Video 2.3.2