Health-care words for body position, location and direction
HESI A2 topic: Health-care vocabulary
- Most position words come in opposite pairs; learn them together.
- Anterior is toward the front; posterior is toward the back.
- Proximal is closer to the trunk or attachment; distal is farther away.
- Medial is toward the midline; lateral is toward the side.
- Supine is lying face up; prone is lying face down.
Key facts
- Anterior means toward the front; posterior means toward the back. Ventral (belly side) and dorsal (back side) are close partners in the human body.
- Proximal means nearer the point of attachment or the center of the body; distal means farther away from it.
- Medial means toward the midline of the body; lateral means toward the side. Bilateral means affecting both the right and left sides.
Show all 7 key factsShow fewer
- Supine means lying on the back, face up; prone means lying face down, chest and stomach downward.
- Superficial means near the surface; peripheral means away from the center, toward the outer parts.
- Distended means swollen or stretched out, as from pressure inside; dilate means widen; constrict means narrow.
- Palpable means able to be felt by touch; adjacent means next to or sharing a border.
Quick check1 question · 2 more at the end
Before the ultrasound, the technician asked Mr. Okafor to lie supine on the table. Which word or phrase is closest in meaning to supine?
Correct answer: D.
Supine means lying on the back with the face upward. Its opposite partner is prone, which means lying face down with the chest and stomach downward. A quick memory hook: supine has "up" in it, so the face points up.
A Face down on the stomach is the meaning of prone, the opposite of supine.
B Lying on one side is a side-lying position; supine means flat on the back.
C Sitting upright is not lying flat at all; supine describes lying on the back.
D Correct: supine means lying on the back with the face upward.
Full lesson
Each part starts with its main idea. Open a part when you want the details.
The short answer: Position words come in opposite pairs that point from a reference: anterior (front) vs. posterior (back), proximal (closer to the trunk or attachment) vs. distal (farther away), medial (toward the midline) vs. lateral (toward the side), supine (lying face up) vs. prone (lying face down). Learn the pairs together, and most look-alike answer choices fall away.
1 Why do health-care readings use so many position words?Position words let a writer point to an exact spot on the body without a picture. 1 min
Position words let a writer point to an exact spot on the body without a picture. You'll meet them all the time in health-care reading, from chart notes to patient leaflets.
Almost every one of them has an opposite partner. If you learn the pairs together, you get two words for the price of one. You can also rule out the partner when it shows up as a wrong answer. Many of them are built from word parts too; see roots, prefixes and suffixes for that method.
2 Which words describe front, back and depth?These words describe where something sits from front to back, or how deep it is. 1 min
These words describe where something sits from front to back, or how deep it is. In a person standing upright, the front and the belly side are the same side.
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Anterior | Toward the front | The kneecap sits on the anterior side of the knee. |
| Posterior | Toward the back | The calf muscle is on the posterior leg. |
| Ventral | On the belly side; in humans, the front | In humans, the ventral surface of the body is the front. |
| Dorsal | On or near the back | A shark's dorsal fin rises from its back. |
| Superficial | Near the surface, not deep | The cut was superficial and did not need stitches. |
3 Which words describe sides, limbs and distance from the center?These words measure distance from a reference point such as the midline, the trunk, or the place where a limb attaches. 1 min
These words measure distance from a reference point such as the midline, the trunk, or the place where a limb attaches. Ask "closer to what?" every time.
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Proximal | Nearer the trunk or point of attachment | The elbow is proximal to the wrist. |
| Distal | Farther from the trunk or point of attachment | The fingertips are distal to the knuckles. |
| Medial | Toward the midline of the body | The big toe is on the medial side of the foot. |
| Lateral | Toward the side, away from the midline | The ears are lateral to the eyes. |
| Bilateral | Affecting both the right and left sides | She had bilateral knee pain, in both knees. |
| Peripheral | Away from the center, toward the outer parts | Peripheral vision lets you notice movement at the edges of your view. |
| Adjacent | Next to; sharing a border | The bed adjacent to the window was empty. |
4 Which words describe how a patient is lying?Two words describe lying flat, and they are exact opposites. 1 min
Two words describe lying flat, and they are exact opposites. Supine is on the back, face up; prone is on the stomach, face down.
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Supine | Lying on the back, face up | The patient lay supine on the exam table. |
| Prone | Lying face down, chest and stomach downward | He was turned prone so his back could be examined. |
Careful: in everyday English, prone also means "likely to," as in "prone to headaches." In a sentence about lying down, it means face down.
5 Which words describe changes you can see or feel?These words describe a body part that has changed size or that can be felt. 1 min
These words describe a body part that has changed size or that can be felt. Two of them are opposites, so pair them.
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Distended | Swollen or stretched out, as from pressure inside | After the large meal, his stomach felt distended. |
| Dilate | To widen or open up | The eye drops will dilate her pupils, making them wider. |
| Constrict | To narrow or squeeze together | The cuff constricts the arm as it fills with air. |
| Palpable | Able to be felt by touch | The doctor found a small, palpable lump in the neck. |
A palpable lump is one you can feel with your fingers. The word says nothing about pain.
Common mistakes
The traps students fall into most. Read these before you practice.
Watch out: Proximal means closer to the trunk or attachment, not farther; distal is farther away.
Watch out: Supine is face up and prone is face down, not the other way around.
Watch out: Bilateral means both sides; lateral alone means toward one side, away from the midline.
Watch out: Dilate means widen, not narrow; constrict means narrow.
Watch out: Palpable means able to be felt, not painful; a lump can be palpable and painless.
How to remember it
Link the hardest pairs to everyday words you already know. Supine has "up" in it: face up. Distal sounds like distance: farther away. Proximal sounds like proximity: close by.
Self-check:
- Is the wrist proximal or distal to the elbow?
- A patient is lying on her stomach. Is she supine or prone?
- What is the opposite of dilate, and what does bilateral add to lateral?
Show answers
- Distal.
- Ask "closer to what?" The reference is the trunk.
- The wrist is farther from the trunk than the elbow, so it is distal. (The elbow is proximal to the wrist.)
- Prone.
- Prone is lying face down, chest and stomach downward.
- Supine has "up" in it: face up, on the back.
- Constrict, and "both sides."
- Dilate means to widen; constrict means to narrow.
- Lateral means toward the side. Bilateral means affecting both the right and left sides.