A&P experts please help...

Nurses General Nursing

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Ok my question is which part of your big toe is the lateral big toe and which part is the medial?

Or it can be worded this way....is the side of your great toe that touches your 2nd toe the medial or lateral aspect of the great toe?

Please show a decent source because I cannot find any online to prove you wrong.

I know what the medical dictionary says, but when it is pertaining to a multilayered part of the body, the medial aspect is the one most inside. For example, with a blood vessel there are several layers. The inner most layer is the medial. I am not sure if this applies to the toes in the sense that "inner" would be considered the area where the middle toe is located. I know the medial aspect of the foot is the inside of the foot, but is this the same with the toes??

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Specializes in ICU.
Ok my question is which part of your big toe is the lateral big toe and which part is the medial?

Or it can be worded this way....is the side of your great toe that touches your 2nd toe the medial or lateral aspect of the great toe?

Please show a decent source because I cannot find any online to prove you wrong.

I'm far from an A&P exspurt, but the medial aspect of your big toe is the side that points towards the center line of your body. If we're looking down from above at the big toe on your right foot, the medial aspect is the left side of your big toe. The lateral aspect is the right side of your big toe (the side that points to the other baby piggies).

NOTE that if we look down from above at the big toe on your left foot, the medial aspect is the right side of that toe, and the lateral aspect is the left side of that toe (reverse from the description of your right big toe).

Reference: Human Anatomy & Physiology, 7th ed, by Elaine N. Marieb, page 13 (a most excellent book, by the way). Check online for diagrams of "body planes." That may help you understand how body parts are described in terms of superior/inferior, medial/lateral,... One such online source is: http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/a/aa072007a.htm .

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I'm far from an A&P exspurt, but the medial aspect of your big toe is the side that points towards the center line of your body. If we're looking down from above at the big toe on your right foot, the medial aspect is the left side of your big toe. The lateral aspect is the right side of your big toe (the side that points to the other baby piggies).

NOTE that if we look down from above at the big toe on your left foot, the medial aspect is the right side of that toe, and the lateral aspect is the left side of that toe (reverse from the description of your right big toe).

Reference: Human Anatomy & Physiology, 7th ed, by Elaine N. Marieb, page 13 (a most excellent book, by the way). Check online for diagrams of "body planes." That may help you understand how body parts are described in terms of superior/inferior, medial/lateral,... One such online source is: http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/a/aa072007a.htm .

Sure, I do understand that. I know what you say above would would be true for the medial aspect of the foot, but I'm not sure if this is different or not for the toes of the foot.

For example, if you consider the foot as one foot, the lateral great toe will be the side of the toe on the outside of the foot, and in the case of considering the foot by itself, this would be the aspect of the toe opposite to that which touches the second toe (the left side of the right great toe when looking down). This is how they describe it working for, like I said, the layers of blood vessels..i.e. it is not simply the part that is closest to the midsagittal plane that is medial but the part that is most internal on that specific structure. I am not sure if this is correct for the toes, however.

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Specializes in ICU.
Sure, I do understand that. I know what you say above would would be true for the medial aspect of the foot, but I'm not sure if this is different or not for the toes of the foot.

For example, if you consider the foot as one foot, the lateral great toe will be the side of the toe on the outside of the foot, and in the case of considering the foot by itself, this would be the aspect of the toe opposite to that which touches the second toe (the left side of the right great toe when looking down). This is how they describe it working for, like I said, the layers of blood vessels..i.e. it is not simply the part that is closest to the midsagittal plane that is medial but the part that is most internal on that specific structure. I am not sure if this is correct for the toes, however.

Sorry, but I'm a bit confused by your second paragraph. Feet are different from blood vessels. I'd drop the blood vessel analogy. Feet/toes are medial/lateral, based on their relationship to the body center line, not any sort of description based on the "most internal" part of a foot (unless you're talking about the layers of tissue originating from a central point, such as a specific bone.

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me thinks you are making it more difficult than need be. "Medial" in gross anatomy refers to the midline of the body, that is it. which ever part of somthing that is closer to the midline is medial, and that which is farther away is lateral......get the "anatomy coloring book".....very helpful

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me thinks you are making it more difficult than need be. "Medial" in gross anatomy refers to the midline of the body, that is it. which ever part of somthing that is closer to the midline is medial, and that which is farther away is lateral......get the "anatomy coloring book".....very helpful

Great post....extremely helpful. I must search for more of your posts to indulge myself in this superior knowledge you seem to express with your attitude in this post.

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Sorry, but I'm a bit confused by your second paragraph. Feet are different from blood vessels. I'd drop the blood vessel analogy. Feet/toes are medial/lateral, based on their relationship to the body center line, not any sort of description based on the "most internal" part of a foot (unless you're talking about the layers of tissue originating from a central point, such as a specific bone.

Trust me. I want to believe you. I want the medial aspect of the great toe to be the side of the great toe that is facing the same way as the medial aspect of the foot. However, I need some kind of source to back this up. I need a credible argument on the side of the above.

I was hoping someone might be able to produce one, as I have had no luck.

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Specializes in IMCU.
Trust me. I want to believe you. I want the medial aspect of the great toe to be the side of the great toe that is facing the same way as the medial aspect of the foot. However, I need some kind of source to back this up. I need a credible argument on the side of the above.

I was hoping someone might be able to produce one, as I have had no luck.

Well it is the same side as the medial aspect of the foot. If you are writing this for a paper, you do not need a source for something that is considered an accepted fact. This is an accepted fact.

Try looking it up in Taber's, Merck or grab a textbook (I have Saladin's A & P). Better yet Google "medial aspect toe image" as I just did and find a real picture (careful some are a bit gross) in a medical journal article.

Good luck.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, & ED.

Okay, all this big toe information is off my head. What I learned, while I was in school, the midial side of the big toe would be the one side alined with the side of the foot, whilst the lateral side of the big toe is hense the side next to the second toe. No need for reference, this is common sense since the midial parts in the middle per universal anatomical postion. Just look up the universal anatomical position. :D prove me wrong wuahahahahaha wuahahahaha

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Okay, all this big toe information is off my head. What I learned, while I was in school, the midial side of the big toe would be the one side alined with the side of the foot, whilst the lateral side of the big toe is hense the side next to the second toe. No need for reference, this is common sense since the midial parts in the middle per universal anatomical postion. Just look up the universal anatomical position. :D prove me wrong wuahahahahaha wuahahahaha

Medial: 1. Pertaining to the middle; in or toward the middle; nearer the middle of the body. Medial is as opposed to lateral. For example, the medial side of the knee is the side closest to the other knee whereas the lateral side of the knee is the outside of the knee.

2. Within a multilayered structure, the center layer. The medial layer of the aorta is the middle layer. For example, necrosis of the medial layer of the aorta may lead to aortic rupture.

I agree that the medial aspect of the big toe is toward the inside of foot, not next to the 2nd toe, that'd be lateral.

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Specializes in ICU.
Originally Posted by morte viewpost.gif

me thinks you are making it more difficult than need be. "Medial" in gross anatomy refers to the midline of the body, that is it. which ever part of somthing that is closer to the midline is medial, and that which is farther away is lateral......get the "anatomy coloring book".....very helpful

Great post....extremely helpful. I must search for more of your posts to indulge myself in this superior knowledge you seem to express with your attitude in this post.

Ummm...I'm merely a bystander here, who attempted to assist you as best I could. I am inclined to agree with morte that you may be overcomplicating things (but previously didn't want to do a mere "me too" post. You may owe morte an apology for your response. (Just my opinion, though like anal orifices, almost everybody's got one whether it be medial, lateral, superior, inferior, deep, or whatever.) Morte gave you an honest response, and recommended a basic tool used by anatomy students in learning the basics (the anatomy coloring book).

I'll go back to my cave now, but I wish you all the best in learning anatomy. Good luck.

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Ummm...I'm merely a bystander here, who attempted to assist you as best I could. I am inclined to agree with morte that you may be overcomplicating things (but previously didn't want to do a mere "me too" post. You may owe morte an apology for your response. (Just my opinion, though like anal orifices, almost everybody's got one whether it be medial, lateral, superior, inferior, deep, or whatever.) Morte gave you an honest response, and recommended a basic tool used by anatomy students in learning the basics (the anatomy coloring book).

I'll go back to my cave now, but I wish you all the best in learning anatomy. Good luck.

thanks, i cant figure if the OP is being purposefully obtuse or is just out to antagonise........

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