Spacial perception

[Lysie1978]

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Does anyone else have problems in anatomy because of spacial relations? I can't visualize where structures would be in a cross section or the course of nerves and vessels in the body. It is very difficult to turn objects around in my mind. Any advice?

 

[MystikBliss]

OMG, I had the same exact problem! I sweated (is that word) all the way through anatomy in the fall. It took me right up until the last exam to figure out why the heck I was having such a hard time.

Anyway, my advice is to practice holding/looking at things in odd manners and then reasoning where things should be. Randomly open up your atlas to a wierd picture (of course stick to the part of the body you're studying), and without looking at the labels, think through what you're looking at. Or practice looking at your cadaver at weird angles and notice how things look. This helped me so much. Just doing that for a couple minutes every day really improved my grade on the final exam.

 

[Lysie1978]

I'm so relieved to hear I'm not the only one with this problem! I did fairly well on my musculo-skel and cardio practical exams because I can memorize the structures but head and neck was really difficult, especially the written. There were questions asking if certain nerves crossed anterior or posterior to specific structures and other questions asking for the specific course of cranial nerves through the different fossae?. I agree that it helps to look at things from different angles but what about the things you can't see and just need to know?

 

[vtucci]

Have you tried any of the web sites on anatomy? They have sample quizzes and such on gross.

 

[Lysie1978]

I have tried websites but most sites aren't specific about relationships. When there is so much to learn, it is difficult to remember that the brachiocephalic vein is anterior to the artery. Do you have any websites to recommend?

 

[LuckyBambooGirl]

Does anyone else have problems in anatomy because of spacial relations? I can't visualize where structures would be in a cross section or the course of nerves and vessels in the body. It is very difficult to turn objects around in my mind. Any advice?

I had that exact same problem! I am glad I am not the only one! I am a second year and it is finally coming together now that we are revisiting the anatomy lab as we study the different organ systems. Really it was just a matter of slogging through it and repetition. Get together with a friend who is good at anatomy and have them go through the structres and quiz you. A group of us got together and had our professor point out structures. He gave us hints about unusual ways he could tag things.

I also had a problem relating the flat 2D color drawings in Netters to the 3D cadavar in front of me. I am way slower at it than my tank mates, so going into the lab extra helped.

 

[sponch]

Some people are better at this than others. Repetition is the best substitute for natural ability. That's why I've had so many girlfriends. Just kidding. 🙂

 

[MystikBliss]

in response to your asking what about things that you can't see but have to remember:

i'm guessing that you're talking about when the book says x artery lies next to y vein behind the 7th rib, 45 degrees from that one muscle...blah blah freakin blah...

to help me with that, i drew out the relationships. if you can't draw, don't worry, you're not turning anything in to anyone. just draw it so you can understand. and if you have time, draw it again from a different angle (this helps you think about the relationships in a different plane)

 

[crazy_cavalier]

I can visualize. My problem is that I dont care for the asinine level of naming convention that plagues gross anatomy and makes it a chore moreso than something enjoyable.