BIOMECHANICS
CHAPTER 2

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE POSITION

erect standing position

all body parts facing forward

considered starting point for all
body segment movements

DIRECTIONAL TERMS

superior

closer to head

inferior

farther away from head

anterior

toward front body

posterior

toward back body

medial

toward midline body

lateral

away from midline

proximal

closer to trunk

distal

away from trunk

superficial

toward surface body

deep

inside body, away from surface

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE PLANES

planes

two dimensional surface

cardinal planes

three imaginary

QUALITATIVE

ANALYSIS

- description of quality without use numbers
- visual observation is most commonly used approach

PLANNING

- performer attire
- lighting condition
- background
- use of video

SPATIAL REFERENCE SYSTEMS

standardizing descriptions of human motion

commonly used is Cartesian coordinate system

human joint centers are labeled with numerical x and y

REFERENCE AXES

mediolateral axis

imaginary line around
sagittal plane rotations

anteroposterior plane

imaginary line around
frontal plane rotations

longitudinal axis

imaginary line around
transverse plane rotations

REFERENCE PLANES

sagittal plane

forward and backward movements

movements occur
- flexion
- extension
- hyperextension

frontal planes

lateral movements

movements occur
- abduction, adduction
- elevation, depression
- radial, ulnar deviation

transverse plane

rotational movements

movements occur
- horizontal abduction, adduction
- supination, pronation
- medial, lateral pronation