The anatomical position is the standard reference orientation of the human body.
It is used to provide a clear and consistent mechanism of describing the location of structures.
In this article, we shall look at the anatomical position in more detail – its features and applications in describing human anatomy.
Description of the Anatomical Position
The standard anatomical position is described as a person in the following orientation:
- Standing upright and facing forward.
- Mouth closed with neutral facial expression.
- Arms straight, hands held by the hips with palms facing forward.
- Feet together and parallel, toes pointing forward.
- In biological males, the penis is described as erect.
By Connexions [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Fig 1 – The standard anatomical position used when describing human anatomy