1.10:
Regional Terms
Regional terms refer to particular structures in specific areas of the human body.
The human body has two primary regions— the axial and the appendicular region, which can both be further divided into sub-regions.
The axial region is defined by a central vertical axis that runs from the head to the abdomen.
It has several sub-regions, including the cephalic – the head, cervical— the neck, thoracic— the thorax, and abdominal— the abdomen. It also includes the sacrum and coccyx located posteriorly at the base of the spine
The appendicular region is composed of the appendages, the upper and lower limbs, connected to the axial region.
The upper limbs comprise many regions, such as the manus or hand, which further consists of the pollex or thumb and the digits or fingers.
Similarly, the lower extremity begins at the coxal region or the hip, extends to the femoral region or the thigh, and ends at the pedal region or the foot.
1.10:
Regional Terms
Regional terms describe anatomy by dividing the body parts into different regions that contain structures involved in contributing similar functions. Using these terms helps increase the accurate description and identification of the particular region of interest or region affected by the disease.
Primarily, the human body has two major regions, the axial and appendicular regions. The axial region comprises regions from the head to the abdomen and makes up the central body axis. In contrast, the appendicular region constitutes the limbs and appendages that connect to the axial region. However, many other terms describe smaller regions within the axial and appendicular regions. Each structure has a reserved term.
Some important regional terms are:
- Cranial: Refers to the skull or cranium.
- Facial: Pertaining to the face.
- Cervical: Relating to the neck region.
- Occipital: Referring to the back of the head.
- Brachial: Relating to the arm.
- Carpal: Pertaining to the wrist.
- Digital or Phalangeal: Relating to the fingers or toes.
- Pelvic: Referring to the pelvis.
- Pubic: Relating to the pubic region.
- Dorsal: Relating to the back.
- Lumbar: Pertaining to the lower back or loin.
These regional terms are widely used to describe specific areas of the body and provide a standardized framework for anatomical reference. They help healthcare professionals and anatomists communicate accurately when discussing anatomical structures and their relationships within the body.
This text is adapted from Openstax, Anatomy and Physiology 2e, Section 1.6: Anatomical terminology.