Anatomical position
Positio anatomica
- Latin synonym: Positio anatomica humana
- Synonym: Human anatomical position
Definition
Standard anatomical position (or the standard reference position) of the body is defined as the human being standing upright, with feet together, arms by the side of his body and none of his long bones crossing each other.
The face is looking forwards, mouth closed with a neutral facial expression.
The arms are slightly externally rotated at the shoulders, elbows extended, forearms supinated, palms facing forwards and thumb positioned laterally.
With regards to the thighs and the legs, both are extended at the hip and the knee joints, with feet together and their dorsum facing forwards and upwards.
References
Text written by Muhammad A. Javaid, MD, PhD © 2023 IMAIOS.
White, T.D. and Folkens, P.A. (2005). ‘Chapter 6: ANATQMICAL TERMINQLQGY’ in The Human Bone Manual. Editor(s): White, T.D. and Folkens, P.A., Academic Press, pp. 67-74. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780120884674500090
Drake, R.L., Vogl, A.W. and Mitchell, A.W.M. (2009). ‘Chapter 1: The Body’ in Gray’s anatomy for Students. (2nd ed.) Philadelphia PA 19103-2899: Elsevier, pp. 4-6.
