A Little Anatomy

         
           Despite the fact that our bodies are our constant companions for life, how much do we really bother to learn about them? We are fairly demanding to our bodies. They haul us around, putting up with our terrible posture (slouchers unite!) and we hardly thank them for all their hard work. We get used to the little aches and pains and carry on our day. Society almost considers self-care to be akin to an act of self-indulgence that is unnecessary. Let's be honest with ourselves, we are mean to our bodies.

           What does my rambling about self-care have to do with anatomy? To my way of thinking, if we really want to live a healthy, well balanced life, we need a fundamental understanding of these bodies we live in. If we don't understand how they fit together and how they work we are missing a large piece of the puzzle. We also tend to think of the body in separate parts on a flat plane. We think of the body in terms of a flat image. Anatomy shows how everything is connected and how the feet can affect the shoulders or the neck can play havoc on the wrists

           Muscles and bones are usually named for a few reasons: where they are in relation to the trunk (torso) of the body or each other, what actions they perform, their appearance, or their shape.
             When discussing anatomy, the body is always in "Anatomical Position".

           This is anatomical position: Facing forward with palms out. I found this particular picture floating about the internet and thought it quite cute (Yoshis are always cute). From this position the body is cut into different planes.

Sagittal Plane - down the mid-line to split the body into right and left.

Coronal or Frontal Plane - splits the body into front and back.

Transverse Plane - splits the body between top and bottom halves.

           From this point we have more fun terms:

Medial - Towards the mid-line of the body (the bellybutton or spine are great landmarks).

Lateral - Away from the mid-line of the body.

Proximal - Closer to the trunk (torso).

Distal - Farther from the trunk.
         
Posterior - The back side of something, or located on the back of the body.

Anterior - The front side of something, or located on the front of the body.

Superior - Above a structure.

Inferior - Below a structure.

           You might notice that most of these terms are opposites of each other. This is helpful in the sense that it helps you to know where muscles attach and the structures that they effect.

For example: I know that the Subscapularis muscle is on the anterior side of the scapula, posterior to the serratus anterior and ribs, attaches along the subscapular fossa (fossa is a shallow depression) to the proximal anterior lesser tubercal (tubercal is a knobby part of a bone) of the humerus.

Translation, (Keep in mind that this is if you are looking at the body face to face). Subscapularis is under the shoulder blade (sub means under), between the shoulder blade, another muscle and ribs. It originates in the shallow part on the front of the scapula and attaches to the front part of the humerus (big arm bone) that is closest to the trunk of the body.

          Confused yet?

         In short, anatomy is about opposites and balance. If there is a superior, there is an inferior, if there is an anterior there is a posterior,  and so on.
         As a therapist I feel that I can better help people by knowing the structures of the body and how they work, what they do, and what problems they can cause when tight or restricted.
Also, learning where muscles begin (origin) and end (insertion) and where they are located helps you see the body as a 3D structure.

       
           Happy Monday!