Anatomical position

The anatomical position refers to a standard positioning of the body. The body must be standing upright, facing forward with each arm hanging by the side of the body with palms open and facing forward. The legs are parallel with feet flat and hip-width apart facing forward.

A standard positioning is necessary as the body can move into different positions that may change the relative placement of organs and other structures.

Image 1: Human model standing in the anatomical position