FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY: HISTORY, OBJECT OF STUDY, METHODS - ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY - 2024

The functional anatomy or physiological is a subdivision of the study of the structures that make up the human or other animal body. The study of functional anatomy is focused on structures and organs and the way they function.

This approach is also known as macroscopic anatomy, since its study is based on the body structures capable of being seen without the use of a microscope. Functional anatomy is separated from microscopic anatomy (histology) and developmental anatomy (embryology) and is further divided into systematic, regional and clinical anatomy.

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History

Human anatomy had its beginnings in Egypt about 500 years BC. While in Greece, Hippocrates (460-377 BC) and Aristotle (384-322) made important contributions to what anatomy is today.

Hippocrates wrote several books on anatomy, in addition to the "Hippocratic Oath," and Aristotle coined the term anatome which means "to cut and separate."

Andrew Vesalius (1514-1564 AD) is considered the father of modern anatomy, for writing and publishing his De Humani Corporis Fabrica in 1543. These anatomical studies focused more on descriptive, regional, and systemic anatomy.

The study of functional anatomy has had its peak from the seventeenth century, after the invention and evolution of the microscope and the origin of histology (study of cells and tissues).

These advances made it possible to add observations on the relationship between forms and the function of structures to anatomy, which until then was a discipline on static structures.

Starting in the 20th century, with computer and technological advances, the study of functional anatomy has increased exponentially, allowing, through models and simulation programs, to understand much more the functioning of the structures of living organisms.

What do you study?

Functional anatomy relates the approaches of systematic, regional and clinical or applied anatomy to study how the structures and organs of the human body and of other animals, generally domestic, function.

The functional study of structures can be divided into systems, such as the functional study of the central nervous system, or regions, such as the functional anatomy of the cerebral cortex or the heart.

In this way, you can study the functional anatomy of various body parts such as: the locomotor system, from its active components such as muscles, to the passive components that are bones and joints.

The functional structures of the viscera that provide the peristaltic movements that allow the progression of the intestinal content are also studied. Another important object of study of functional anatomy is the dynamics of the heart and its circulatory system.

We also find functional anatomy of chewing, phonation or swallowing, among many other studies.

In general, functional anatomy is used to enhance and clarify systematic and regional anatomical descriptions. Through this approach, the form and function of all body structures are related.

Methods and techniques

Despite considering functional anatomy as macroscopic, the development of microscopy has been very useful in the study of this discipline.

Understanding the microscopic structures that make up muscles, cartilage, and the bone system is a useful tool for understanding the functioning of body structures and movements. Besides this, the study of images and computerized models allows to integrate this knowledge.

In the functional approach to anatomy, the study of body structures is accompanied by the relationship between joints and muscle insertion.

It should be noted that, in functional anatomy, the structures that are the object of study are elements involved in displacement processes.

In this way, it cannot be confused with physiology, which is responsible for studying, for example, gas exchange in respiration or the transduction of stimuli into nerve currents in sensory receptors.

Functional anatomy terms

In the study of functional anatomy, it is important to know some terms that refer to the movement of the limbs and other parts of the body. The majority of movements studied in this discipline are those of the joints, where two or more bones articulate with each other.

Some terms that describe movement are flexion and extension, which refer to the degree of inclination of one structure with respect to another. Abduction and adduction refer to the distance or approach, respectively, of the extremities with respect to the median plane of the body.

In addition, terms such as eversion and inversion are in common use; elevation and depression and anatomical planes such as median, sagittal, frontal and horizontal planes.

These terms are part of the international vocabulary of anatomy, and it is important that health professionals make use of them, to avoid ambiguities and confusion.

Functional anatomy of the locomotor system

The functional study of body structures is a multidisciplinary discipline that involves the relationship between histological and physiological knowledge. This anatomical approach has been widely used in sports and physical activity sciences, as it studies the movement of the human body.

In the study and understanding of sports injuries, for example, image analysis is used, based on the application of some physical principles to visualize internal structures, as well as their composition and functioning.

The understanding of anatomy applied to sport requires the classic study of functional musculoskeletal anatomy and myofascial meridians (connective tissue), focusing on physiology and biomechanics, also using trauma tools and diagnostic images.

Use of functional anatomical knowledge in anthropological evaluation

The study of functional anatomy is used in the creation of anthropometric profiles in sports science.

After taking the measurements for the anthropometric profile, the indices, proportions and distribution of body weight on the various tissues are obtained and, later, knowledge about functional anatomy allows interpreting these results.

Functional anatomy allows us to understand the relationship between a common anthropometric profile among outstanding athletes in a certain sport discipline.

This anatomical approach explains, for example, why a certain femoral length is necessary for mid-distance athletes, and why arm length is important in swimming and rowing sports.

In this way, it is possible to hypothesize some advantage that a certain anthropometric variable presents over a sport discipline, also allowing to predict the athlete's performance on said activity.

References

1. Giménez-Amaya, JM (2000). Functional anatomy of the cerebral cortex involved in visual processes. Journal of Neurology, 30 (7), 656-662.
2. Gutiérrez, LS (1989). Synthesis of human anatomy. Volume 67. University of Salamanca Editions.
3. Luna, FJ (2013). The importance of anatomical knowledge in anthropometric evaluation. In 10th Argentine Congress of Physical Education and Sciences. National University of La Plata.
4. Moore, KL & Dalley, AF (2009). Clinically oriented anatomy. Panamerican Medical Ed.
5. Moore KL & Agur, AMR (2007). Fundamentals of anatomy with clinical orientation. Panamerican Medical Ed.
6. Palastanga, N., Field, D., & Soames, R. (2007). Human anatomy and movement. Structure and operation. Ed. Paidotribo.
7. Whitmore, I. (1999). Anatomical terminology: new terminology for the new anatomist. The Anatomical Record: An Official Publication of the American Association of Anatomists, 257 (2), 50-53.