Clinical Anatomy For Dummies

Clinical anatomy is the study of human anatomy as it relates to clinical practice. Unlike a basic anatomy and physiology course designed to teach general anatomical knowledge, clinical anatomy focuses on specific structures and issues that people may encounter in a clinical setting.

Clinical Anatomy For Dummies presents a friendly, unintimidating overview of the material covered in a typical college-level Clinical Anatomy course. Clear definitions, concise explanations, and plenty of full-color illustrations make Clinical Anatomy For Dummies the most accessible book available to supplement your classroom texts.

• Plain-English explanations make difficult concepts easy to grasp
• Tracks to a typical college-level Clinical Anatomy course
• Features a 16-page color insert

Whether you're a student or a practicing healthcare worker, Clinical Anatomy for Dummies makes this subject accessible and easy to grasp.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 1

What You’re Not to Read 2

Foolish Assumptions 2

How This Book is Organized 2

Part I: Beginning with Clinical Anatomy Basics 3

Part II: Understanding the Thorax, Abdomen, and Pelvis 3

Part III: Looking at the Head, Neck, and Back 3

Part IV: Moving to the Upper and Lower Extremities 3

Part V: The Part of Tens 3

Icons Used in This Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part I: Beginning with Clinical Anatomy Basics 5

Chapter 1: Entering the World of Clinical Anatomy 7

Studying the Body in Different Ways 7

Looking under the microscope or with your eyes 7

Speaking clinically: Terms used in clinical anatomy 8

Dividing the Body into Systems and Regions 8

Organizing the body by systems 9

Organizing the body by regions 10

Chapter 2: Getting a Grip on Terms Used in Clinical Anatomy 13

Describing Anatomy by Position, Region, and Plane 13

Beginning with the anatomical position 14

Figuring out what goes where in anatomical regions 14

Knowing what’s up, down, back, and front in specific terms 16

Slicing the body into anatomical planes 17

Labeling Anatomical Movement 19

Bending and straightening 19

Going away and getting closer 19

Moving in circles 20

Surveying other ways to move 20

Chapter 3: Examining the Integumentary, Musculoskeletal, and Nervous Systems 23

Showing Interest in Integument 23

Looking at the layers and structures of the skin 24

Going in farther to the fascia 26

Boning Up on the Skeleton 26

Figuring out what makes a bone 26

Surveying the shapes of bones 27

Feeling out bumps, ridges, and indentations 28

Catching Up to Cartilage 29

Joining the Joints 29

Making the Body Move with Muscles 31

Moving the bones with skeletal muscle 31

Keeping the heart ticking with cardiac muscle 33

Having no control over smooth muscle 34

Getting on Your Nerves 34

Determining what’s in (and on) a neuron 35

Coordinating input and signals with the central nervous system 36

Touching and moving with the peripheral nervous system 36

Feeling and reacting with the somatic nervous system 37

Taking control with the autonomic nervous system 37

Chapter 4: Moving Along with the Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems 39

Tracing Circulatory Pathways in the Cardiovascular System 39

Making the rounds: Systemic circulation 40

Fueling up: Pulmonary circulation 41

Moving Blood Away from the Heart with Arteries 43

Looking inside large elastic arteries 44

Moving to medium muscular arteries 44

Surveying small arteries and arterioles 44

Taking Blood Back to the Heart with Capillaries and Veins 45

Exchanging gases, nutrients, and wastes in capillaries 45

Peeking into veins and venules 46

Breathing In and Out: The Respiratory System 47

Chapter 5: Looking at the Immune and Lymphatic Systems 49

Beginning with Red Bone Marrow and Leukocytes 49

Fighting infection with lymphocytes 50

Binging on bacteria with phagocytes 50

Controlling histamines with basophils 51

Surveying the Lymphatic System 51

Networking with lymphatic capillaries and vessels 51

Filtering lymph through nodes 52

Collecting lymph in ducts 53

Assessing Additional Lymphoid Organs 54

The thymus 54

The spleen 55

The tonsils, the appendix, and the gut 55

Chapter 6: Delving into the Digestive, Urinary, and Endocrine Systems 57

Breaking Down and Absorbing Your Food: The Digestive System 57

Starting in the mouth 58

Continuing through the esophagus and into the stomach 58

Finishing in the small intestine with help from the pancreas, gallbladder, and liver 59

Forming and removing bulk in the large intestine 59

Removing Wastes: The Urinary System 60

Handling Hormones: The Endocrine System 61

The master gland: The pituitary 61

The pituitary’s assistants: The hypothalamus and pineal glands 62

The body’s metabolism booster: The thyroid gland 62

Fighting infection: The thymus 63

Stressing out: The suprarenals 64

Digestive aid: The pancreas 64

Mars and Venus: The testes and the ovaries 65

Part II: Understanding the Thorax, Abdomen, and Pelvis 67

Chapter 7: Checking Out the Thoracic Cage and Coverings 69

Getting Under Your Skin: Thoracic Bones, Joints, Muscles, and More 69

Forming the thoracic cage: The bones 70

Moving just a little: The joints 72

Helping you breathe: The respiratory muscles 73

Running through the thorax: The nerves and blood vessels 76

Covering It All Up: The Surface Anatomy of the Thorax 78

Using imaginary lines in your assessment 78

Looking at the anterior chest wall 79

Examining the posterior chest wall 82

Chapter 8: Assessing the Thoracic Organs 85

Understanding the Mediastinum and Pleural Cavities 85

The mediastinum 85

The pleural cavities 86

Looking at the Lungs 87

Surveying the lungs’ surfaces and borders 88

Getting air in and out with the trachea 88

Branching into the bronchi 88

Checking out the lobes 89

Flowing with nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatics 90

Having a Heart 93

Surrounding the heart with the pericardium 93

Examining the surfaces of the heart 93

Putting together the four chambers 95

Feeding the heart: Arteries and veins 97

Giving the heart its spark 98

Exploring Thoracic Circulation 101

Circulating blood in the major vessels 101

Moving lymph through the lymphatic vessels 102

Discovering What Else is in the Thoracic Cavity 103

Chapter 9: Bellying Up to the Abdominal Wall 105

Drawing Quadrants and Regions on the Abdominal Wall 105

Using two lines: The four quadrants 106

Using four lines: The nine regions 106

Making Up the Abdominal Wall: Muscles and More 107

Absolutely fabulous abdominal muscles 107

Nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatics for maintaining tissues 108

Lining the abdomen: The peritoneum 112

Inspecting the Inguinal Region 112

The inguinal ligament and the iliopubic tract 112

The inguinal canal 113

The spermatic cord 114

The testes 114

The scrotum 115

Seeing the Skin and Surface Anatomy of the Abdominal Wall 116

Chapter 10: Probing the Abdominal Organs 119

Poking Around the Peritoneum 119

The mesentery and the peritoneal folds and ligaments 120

The greater and lesser omentums 120

Digging into the Main Digestive Organs 121

Entering the esophagus 121

Churning in the stomach 122

Winding through the small intestine 124

Moving into the large intestine 126

Observing Organs that Assist with Digestion 128

Locating the liver 128

Glancing at the gallbladder 132

Pinpointing the pancreas 132

Identifying Renal Anatomy 133

Knowing the kidneys 134

Tracing the ureters 135

Spying the suprarenal glands 135

Figuring Out What Else is in the Abdominal Cavity 136

The spleen 136

Nerves 137

Major abdominal blood vessels 139

Lymphatics 142

Chapter 11: Seeing the Pelvis and the Perineum 145

Pinpointing the Pelvic Structures 145

Forming the pelvic girdle: Bones and joints 146

Making note of muscles and fascia 148

Personal space: The peritoneum 149

Feeling out the nerves of the pelvis 150

Viewing blood vessels 152

Looking at lymphatics 154

Comparing Pelvic Organs 155

Locating pelvic organs that everyone has 155

Finding Mars: The male pelvic organs 157

Finding Venus: The female pelvic organs 159

Exit Strategy: The Perineum 162

The male perineum 164

The female perineum 164

Part III: Looking at the Head, Neck, and Back 167

Chapter 12: Head of the Class 169

Sticking to the Skull Bones 169

Cradling the brain in the cranial cavity 170

Facing forward with the facial bones 172

Encasing the Brain: The Meninges 173

The dural infoldings 173

The dural venous sinuses 174

Locating the Areas and Structures of the Brain 175

Thinking about the cerebrum 177

Going inside the diencephalon 177

Balancing the cerebellum 177

Surveying the brainstem 178

Draining the brain with the ventricles 178

Getting the glands 178

Counting the cranial nerves 179

Serving the brain: The blood supply 182

Putting on a Face 183

Expressing yourself with facial muscles 183

Moving with motor nerves 185

Feeling out sensory nerves 185

Viewing blood vessels 187

Getting a handle on lymphatics 190

Enveloping the Head: Facial Surface Anatomy and the Scalp 190

Chapter 13: Seeing, Smelling, Tasting, and Hearing 193

Seeing into the Eyes 193

Taking cover with eyelids 194

Having a ball — an eyeball, that is 195

Rolling your eyes with extraocular muscles 197

Serving the eyes: The nerves 199

Providing blood flow to and from the eyes 200

Knowing the Nose 201

Sniffing out the exterior of the nose 201

Scoping out the nasal cavity 201

Insinuating your way into the paranasal sinuses 203

Sensing the nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatics 204

Investigating the Mouth 204

Open wide: The oral cavity 204

Chew on this: The teeth and gums 205

Picking on the palate 205

Sticking out your tongue 207

Making spit in the salivary glands 209

Tapping into the temporomandibular joint 209

Noting nerves 211

Viewing blood vessels 212

Sorting through lymphatics 212

Entering the Ear 213

Examining the external ear 213

Moving into the middle ear 214

Diving deeper into the inner ear 216

Keeping an ear out for nerves and vessels 217

Chapter 14: It’s Neck and Neck 219

Sizing Up the Superficial Structures: Muscles, Nerves, and Blood Vessels 219

Dividing the triangles: The sternocleidomastoid 220

Going back to the posterior triangle of the neck 221

Understanding the anterior triangle of the neck 223

Neck Deep: Diving into the Deep Structures 226

Flexing the neck: The prevertebral muscles 226

Rooting around the root of the neck 228

Homing In on the Neck Organs 230

Front and center: Thyroid and parathyroid glands 230

Speaking of the pharynx, larynx, and trachea 231

Locating lymphatic vessels and nodes 236

Surrounding the Neck: Skin and Surface Anatomy 237

Chapter 15: Back to Back 239

Stacking Up the Vertebral Column 239

Analyzing a typical vertebra 240

Putting the vertebrae into groups 241

Connecting with the vertebral joints 244

Studying the Spinal Cord and Meninges 246

Spying on the spinal cord and nerves 246

Coverings and cushions: Understanding the meninges and cerebrospinal fluid 247

Flexing Your Back Muscles 249

Shouldering the load: The extrinsic muscles 249

Twisting and turning: The intrinsic muscles 249

Nodding your head: The suboccipital muscles 252

Providing Blood Flow and Lymphatic Drainage in the Back 254

Assessing the Surface Anatomy of the Vertebrae and Back Muscles 254

Looking for curves in the spine 255

Seeing bones on the back’s surface 255

Viewing the back muscles 256

Part IV: Moving to the Upper and Lower Extremities 257

Chapter 16: Shouldering the Load: The Pectoral Girdle and the Arm 259

Boning Up on the Shoulder and the Arm 259

Looking at the bones of the pectoral girdle 260

It’s not funny, but it’s humerus 261

Joining the Parts 262

Collaring the sternoclavicular joint 262

Reviewing the acromioclavicular joint 262

Hanging on to the humerus 263

Sniffing around the Axilla (Armpit) 264

Forming the apex, the base, and the walls 264

Tracking the axillary artery and vein 265

Moving the Shoulder and the Arm 265

Taking a look at the anterior muscles 265

Moving to the posterior muscles 267

Shaping up the shoulder muscles 267

Maintaining the Tissues 269

Acknowledging the nerves and blood supply 269

Remembering the lymphatic vessels 273

Covering Your Shoulders and Arms: The Surface Anatomy 274

Chapter 17: Bending the Elbow and Focusing on the Forearm 277

Forming the Elbow and the Forearm: The Bones 277

Handling the humerus 277

Regarding the radius 278

Understanding the ulna 278

Joining the Elbow and the Forearm 279

Bending the elbow 279

Reviewing the radioulnar joints 279

Making the Elbow and Forearm Move: The Muscles 280

The muscles of the arm 280

The muscles of the forearm 282

Giving a Nod to the Nerves and Blood Supply 282

Nerves 284

Blood supply 284

Looking Only Skin Deep: The Surface Anatomy 285

Chapter 18: Shaking Hands and Grabbing the Wrist 287

Putting Your Hands (and Wrists) Together 287

Starting with the carpal bones 288

Moving to the metacarpal bones 289

Finding the phalanges 290

Waving and Wiggling with the Help of Joints 290

Looking at the wrist joints 290

Handing over the hand joints 291

Pointing to the finger joints 291

Making the Most of Wrist and Hand Muscles 292

Flexing and extending the wrist 292

Sticking out your thumb with the thenar muscles 296

Honing in on the hypothenar muscles 296

Investigating the interosseous muscles and the lumbricals 297

Knowing the Nerves and Blood Supply of the Wrist and Hand 297

Getting a feeling for the nerves 298

Uncovering the arteries and veins 299

Fitting Like a Glove: The Surface Anatomy of the Wrist and Hand 300

Chapter 19: Getting Hip to the Hip and the Thigh 303

Honing In on Hip and Thigh Bones 303

Understanding the Hip and Thigh Joints 306

Seeking the sacroiliac joint 306

Surveying the symphysis pubis 307

Looking at the acetabulofemoral joint 307

Swaying Your Hips and Moving Your Thighs with the Help of Muscles 308

Minding the muscles of the buttocks 308

Turning with the thigh muscles 310

Maintaining the Hip and Thigh Tissues 312

Knowing the nerves 313

Flowing through the arteries and veins 315

Looking at the lymphatics 316

Summing Up the Surface Landmarks 317

Chapter 20: Knowing the Knee and the Leg 319

Logging the Knee and Leg Bones 319

Knocking the Knee Joint 322

Coming up with cartilage and the joint capsule 322

Balancing the menisci 322

Hanging on with the ligaments 324

Bumping up against the bursae 325

Kneeling on the patellofemoral joint 326

Supervising the superior tibiofibular joint 326

Mastering the Muscles that Affect the Knee and Leg 326

Starting with thigh muscles that work with the knee 327

Aiming at the anterior compartment 327

Looking at the lateral compartment 328

Pondering the posterior compartment 328

Noticing the Nerves, Blood Vessels, and Lymphatics of the Knee and Leg 329

Noting the nerves 329

Analyzing the arteries and veins 331

Listing the lymph nodes 332

Summing Up the Surface Landmarks 332

Chapter 21: Finding the Ankle and the Foot 335

Looking at the Framework of the Ankle and Foot 335

Aiming for the ankle bones 336

Assessing the architecture of the foot bones 336

Taking In the Ankle and Foot Joints 337

Moving up and down: The ankle joint 337

Supporting your weight: The foot and toe joints 338

Bending Your Ankle and Curling Your Toes: The Muscles 341

Turning to leg muscles that move the ankle and the foot 341

Minding the muscles of the foot 343

Getting Maintenance with Nerves, Blood Vessels, and Lymphatics 344

Naming the nerves 345

Looking at blood vessels and lymphatics 346

Summing Up the Surface Landmarks of the Ankle and the Foot 347

Part V: The Part of Tens 349

Chapter 22: Ten Helpful Clinical Anatomy Mnemonics 351

Thinking about the Cranial Bones 351

Focusing on the Facial Bones 352

Memorizing the Cranial Nerves 352

Summing Up the Heart-Valve Sequence 353

Ordering the Abdominal Muscles 353

Tracking the Intestinal Tract 354

Remembering the Rotator Cuff Muscles 354

Concentrating on the Carpal Bones 354

Looking at the Lateral Rotator Muscles of the Hip 355

Taming the Tarsal Bones 355

Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Look into the Body without Cutting It Open 357

Conventional Radiography 357

Computerized Tomography 358

Magnetic Resonance Imaging 358

Positron Emission Tomography 358

Fluoroscopy 359

Mammography 359

Ultrasonography 359

Opthalmoscopy 360

Upper Endoscopy 360

Colonoscopy 360

Index 361

David Terfera, PhD, teaches biomedical sciences at the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine. Shereen Jegtvig, DC, MS, is a health and nutrition writer.