Regional and Directional Terms

1. Directional Terms

Directional terms describe relative body positions. These terms are used to describe the location of one body part in relation to another. These are extremely important for documentation. You need to learn the terms, and also how to use them correctly. Directional terms can be easy to confuse, so make sure to practice. Always describe directions from the patient's perspective, not your own. For example, when a patient is facing you, the patient’s left side is not the same as your left side. Remember that you must use the patient’s position; in this case, the patient’s left side, in documentation.

Here are some examples of terms describing body directions.

• Superior (Cranial) – Toward the head (cranial) or upper part of the body (superior).

The brain is superior to the heart.

• Inferior (Caudal) – Away from the head (caudal), toward the lower body (inferior).

The stomach is inferior to the lungs.

• Anterior (Ventral) – Toward the front of the body (anterior); toward the abdomen (ventral).

The sternum (breastbone) is anterior to the heart.

• Posterior (Dorsal) – Toward the back of the body (posterior); toward the top/back (dorsal).

The spine is posterior to the stomach.

• Medial – Toward the midline of the body.

The nose is medial to the ears.

• Lateral – Away from the midline of the body.

The arms are lateral to the chest.

• Proximal – Closer to the point of attachment to the body.

The elbow is proximal to the wrist.

• Distal – Farther from the point of attachment to the body.

The fingers are distal to the elbow.

• Superficial – Closer to the surface of the body.

The skin is superficial to the muscles.

• Deep – Further away from the surface of the body.

The bones are deep to the skin.

did you know

Superior and inferior are commonly used with humans, but don’t get confused if you ever take a class involving the anatomy of other types of animals. In humans, the head is at the top of the body, so cranial and superior mean the same thing. In a four-legged animal like a cat, the head is in front of the body. So the head is cranial, but not superior. The same thing is true for inferior and caudal. The terms work for humans, but not for cats. In the same way, anterior and ventral work versus posterior and dorsal work for humans, but not for other species. Using a cat as an example again, anterior is toward the head while dorsal is toward the back, and posterior is toward the tail while ventral is toward the abdomen.

In this course, you will use terms as they are applied to humans. So double check yourself if you take a veterinary course or otherwise work with animals.

try it

Now let’s try using these terms.

Compared to the knee, the foot is _____ to the body.

The word is distal.

There are also some special directional terms to know for the hands and feet.

• Palmar refers to the palm of the hand.
• Plantar refers to the sole of the foot.

• Ipsilateral means on the same side of the body.

The right lung is ipsilateral to the right kidney.

• Contralateral means on the opposite side of the body.

The right hand is contralateral to the left foot.

try it

Now let’s try assembling a word.

How would you describe the two kidneys, one on the left and one on the right (ipsilateral or contralateral)?

Contralateral

2. Regional Terms

In addition to having directional terms, healthcare professionals use regional terms to refer to specific parts of the body.

Axial refers to a body axis. The axial region is the main body including the head, neck, and trunk. The appendicular region includes the appendages (arms and legs).

2a. Axial Region

The axial region includes terms related to the head (cephalic region), neck (cervical region), and thoracic region (chest), abdominal region, pelvic region, and dorsal region.

Here are some terms relating to the cephalic region:

• Frontal – Forehead.
• Orbital – Eye socket.
• Buccal – Cheek.
• Nasal – Nose.
• Oral – Mouth.
• Occipital – Back of the head.

Below are some terms relating to the thoracic region:

• Pectoral – Chest region.
• Mammary – Breast.
• Sternal – Middle of the chest (sternum).

Here are some terms related to the abdominal region:

• Umbilical – Area around the navel (belly button).
• Epigastric – Above the stomach.
• Hypogastric – Below the stomach.

Here are some terms related to the pelvic region:

• Inguinal – Groin area.
• Pubic – Area around the genitals.

Finally, here are some terms related to the dorsal region (back):

• Scapular – Shoulder blade area.
• Vertebral – Spinal column.
• Lumbar – Lower back.
• Sacral – Area between the hips.

2b. Appendicular Region

The appendicular region includes the upper appendages (arms) and lower appendages (legs). There are terms to know for both of these regions.

Here are some terms related to the upper limb:

• Acromial – Shoulder.
• Brachial – Upper arm.
• Antecubital – Front of elbow.
• Olecranal – Back of elbow.
• Carpal – Wrist.
• Palmar – Palm.
• Digital (Phalangeal) – Fingers.

And here are some terms related to the lower limb:

• Gluteal – Buttock.
• Femoral – Thigh.
• Patellar – Front of knee.
• Popliteal – Back of knee.
• Crural – Shin (front of the lower leg).
• Sural – Calf (back of the lower leg).
• Tarsal – Ankle.
• Plantar – Sole of the foot.
• Hallux – Big toe.
• Digital (Phalangeal) - Toes (Note that this term refers to both the fingers and toes).

watch

View this video to explore basic regional and directional terms.