anatomical neck

(noun)

A constriction adjacent to the humeral head that increases the range of movement possible at the shoulder joint.

Related Terms

Examples of anatomical neck in the following topics:

  • Humerus (The Upper Arm)

    • Immediately adjacent to the head is the narrower anatomical neck, which allows for a wider range of movements of the head within the shoulder joint.
    • Below this proximal region lies the shaft, which is separated from the proximal region by the surgical neck, so termed as this in an area of frequent fracture.

  • Accessory (XI) Nerve

    • The accessory nerve is designated the 11th of 12 cranial nerves and it controls the muscles of the shoulder and neck.
    • The accessory nerve is the 11th of 12 cranial nerves and it controls the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles of the shoulder and neck.
    • The accessory nerve provides motor innervation from the CNS to the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles of the neck.

  • Regional Terms and Axes

    • The Axial Region makes up the main axis of the human body and includes the head, neck, chest, and trunk.
    • The X, Y, and Z axes of the Cartesian coordinate system are used describe the specific location of an axis in standard anatomical position.
    • Axes give more clarity and detail for describing the location of an anatomical region.
    • They are commonly used in both zoology and human anatomy, and can be paired with body planes to give even more detail to anatomical direction, region, and location.
    • Axis (A) (in red) shows the AP axis of the tail, (B) shows the AP axis of the neck, and (C) shows the AP axis of the head.

  • Anatomical Position

    • Standard anatomical position is the body orientation used when describing an organism's anatomy. 
    • The standard anatomical position is agreed upon by the international medical community.
    • In humans, the standard anatomical position of the skull is called the Frankfurt plane.
    • It is important to note that all anatomical descriptions are based on the standard anatomical position unless otherwise stated.
    • The regions of the body in standard anatomical position, in which the body is erect.

  • Esophagus

    • In humans the esophagus is continuous with the laryngeal part of the pharynx within the neck, and it passes through the thorax diaphragm and into abdomen to reach the cardiac orifice of the stomach.
    • The junction between the esophagus and the stomach (the gastroesophageal junction or GE junction) is not actually considered a valve in the anatomical sense, although it is sometimes called the cardiac sphincter.

  • Larynx

    • The larynx is an organ in the neck involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration.
    • The larynx (plural: larynges), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of humans and most animals that is involved in breathing, sound production, coughing, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration during eating.
    • In adult humans, the larynx is found in the anterior neck at the level of the C3–C6 vertebrae in the backbone.

  • Intubation During Anesthesia

    • Severe blunt or penetrating injury to the face or neck may be accompanied by swelling and an expanding hematoma, or injury to the larynx, trachea, or bronchi.
    • The decision to use a straight or curved laryngoscope blade depends partly on the specific anatomical features of the airway, and partly on the personal experience and preference of the laryngoscopist.
    • Tracheotomy consists of making an incision on the front of the neck and opening a direct airway through an incision in the trachea.
    • Four anatomic features must be present for orotracheal intubation to be straightforward: adequate mouth opening (full range of motion of the temporomandibular joint), sufficient pharyngeal space (determined by examining the hypopharynx), sufficient submandibular space (distance between the thyroid cartilage and the chin, the space into which the tongue must be displaced in order for the larygoscopist to view the glottis), and adequate extension of the cervical spine at the atlanto-occipital joint.

  • Veins of the Head and Neck

    • In the head and neck, blood circulates from the upper systemic loop, which originates at the aortic arch.
    • There are two main jugular veins which are responsible for the venous draining of the head and neck.
    • The external jugular vein passes down the neck and underneath the clavicle before draining into the subclavian vein.
    • The veins of head and neck are labeled in blue, with an arrow pointing to the auricular vein.
    • Outline the flow of blood in veins in the head and neck

  • General Organization of the Somatosensory System

    • The cell body of the primary neuron is housed in the dorsal root ganglion of a spinal nerve or, if sensation is in the head or neck, the ganglia of the trigeminal or cranial nerves.
    • A cortical homunculus is the brains physical representation of the human body; it is a neurological map of the anatomical divisions of the body.

  • Urinary Bladder

    • The ureters enter the bladder diagonally from its dorsolateral floor in an area called the trigone, which is a triangular shaped anatomical region.
    • When the bladder fills with urine, stretch receptors send nerve impulses to the spinal cord, which then sends a reflex nerve impulse back to the internal sphincter valve at the neck of the bladder, causing it to relax and allow the flow of urine into the urethra.