Ventral and dorsal

Ventral and dorsal are terms used to describe a location on the body. Ventral refers to the front and dorsal to the back of the body.

Example

The abdomen is on the ventral side of the body. The back is on the dorsal side of the body. Another example is the hand. There the palm is the ventral side and the back of the hand the dorsal side. This is based on the so-called anatomical position.

The terms ventral and dorsal closely correspond to anterior and posterior.

It is important to note that these terms are mainly used by (para)medical professionals to communicate accurately about body position and anatomy. As a patient you do not need to be familiar with these terms, but they can help to better understand the physiotherapist's explanation.