Help with anatomical question!

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Erinna1

New Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
I am a pre-med student at Rutgers University and am also enrolled in a Surgical Technology program. I am learning about "Anatomical Directions" and don't quite understand it. When I felt that my instructor's explanation might have been off I decided to get a second opinion.

The question is: When is it appropriate to use the directional terms "Proximal" and "Distal"?

When my instructor explained it to us she used the following example: "If a patient says that they have pain in the area that is said to be the left hypochondriac region, then you can say that the pain is 'distal' to the umbilical region." She even drew a compass rosette and marked P and D diagonally to the right as if they are directions.

What I understood from the book is that proximal is toward or nearest the trunk of the body. For example my knee lies at the proximal end of my tibia while my foot lies at its distal end. I assumed that when we used anatomical directions to pinpoint something in a cavity (as her was locating the pain in the abdominal cavity), that we would use "Median and Lateral".


Thank you for your time 🙂
 
That is strange. I would meet with her and question further. Like you, I would use medial/lateral in the case you mentioned.
 
The question is: When is it appropriate to use the directional terms "Proximal" and "Distal"?

When my instructor explained it to us she used the following example: "If a patient says that they have pain in the area that is said to be the left hypochondriac region, then you can say that the pain is 'distal' to the umbilical region." She even drew a compass rosette and marked P and D diagonally to the right as if they are directions.

What I understood from the book is that proximal is toward or nearest the trunk of the body. For example my knee lies at the proximal end of my tibia while my foot lies at its distal end. I assumed that when we used anatomical directions to pinpoint something in a cavity (as her was locating the pain in the abdominal cavity), that we would use "Median and Lateral".


Thank you for your time 🙂


Maybe this will help: The terms proximal and distal are used when contrasting positions nearer to or farther from the attachment of a limb or the central aspect of a linear structure, respectively.
  • The cubital fossa is proximal to the carpal tunnel.
  • The proximal interphalangeal joint is so called because it is closer for example to the metacarpophalangeal join than the distal interphalangeal joint.
  • The oblique cord of the antebrachium resists distal displacement of the radius.
  • The levator scapulae proximally attaches to the posterior tubercles of the transverse processes of C1-4 and it distally attaches to the region of medial border of the scapule immediately superior to the root of the scapular spine.
  • The patella lies proximal to the tibia and the foot lies distal to the tibia.
i don't know what your instructor is talking about. What's her point of origin or reference? In her example, it is better to say that the pain is superolaterally left to the umbilical.

As for your other question, I do not know if I would use proximal or distal in the abdomen. You could of course use terms like lateral and medial as these refer to the median plane. Or superior and inferior, referring to which is closer to the vertex and which is closer to the sole of the foot, respectively.

Hope that helps.
 
I am an athletic training student...

distal simply means "away" from the midline of the body

proximal means "closer" to the midline of the body

your elbow is distal to your shoulder, but your knee is proximal to your ankle.

Technically, the terms medial and lateral refer to something closer or farther away from the midline (midsagittal plane) of the body, respectively. So do the terms abduction and adduction (away from and toward the midline, respectively).
 
I suppose your instructor was using the umbilicus as a point of reference, so I can see why she referred to pain in the left hypochondriac region as being distal to the umbilical region. However, I think it might have just been a poor example. When referring to pain/injury in the abdomen, it doesn't make sense to me to delineate pain/injury in "distal" or "proximal" terms when the 9 nine abdominal regions or 4 quadrants are more specific. Im sure a simple clarification from your instructor will resolve your questions.
 
Top