GLOSSARY

Anatomy is the science that studies the structure of the body and its parts, that is, the shape, size, location, and relationships of its different components.
The word comes from the Greek ana, meaning “apart,” and tome, meaning “cutting,” because anatomy was originally founded on dissection.

Main Branches

• Gross anatomy: the study of structures visible to the naked eye, such as bones, muscles, and joints.
• Microscopic anatomy: includes histology and cytology.
• Surface anatomy: identifying underlying structures through the skin, such as palpating the kneecap or the spinous processes of the vertebrae.
• Regional and systemic anatomy: studying the body by regions, such as the lower limb, or by systems, such as the muscular system.

Relevance to Sport

A coach or physiotherapist who knows anatomy understands which muscles and joints each exercise involves; for example, determining whether a runner’s anterior knee pain comes from the patellar tendon or the patellofemoral joint is impossible without anatomical knowledge.

Key Teaching Point

Anatomy answers the question “what and where,” while physiology answers “how it works”; in sports science the two are always used together.